Twilight
by Setkia
Summary: "I know what you are," I tell him as he slowly circles around me. "Say it," he demands, "Out loud." I tremble as his breath comes closer to my face. "Say it!" He commands. "Vampire," I choke out the word, trying not to show just how terrified I am. "Are you afraid?" He asks. "No," I tell him. He raises an eyebrow. "I'm terrified."
1. Preface: Twilight

**_INFORMATION YOU MUST KNOW OR YOU DIE!_ (Kidding, but seriously, read this!) I made a bet with my friend involving _Twilight_. Now, I have nothing against _Twilight_ as a series (except for lack of a personality for a main character, sparkling people with paitned on abs- okay, I don't really like _Twilight_) but we decided to do something called rewriting _Twilight_. This is pretty Alternate Universe so if you hate that, you may want to back out right now. This is not a parody, this is a rewrite. Bella's character is different, Edward, Charlie, Jacob, Jasper, Alice, Carlisle (nah, I'm lying, Carlisle the same awesome vampire and so is Alice). There were some things I enjoyed with _Twilight_ (one being the baseball) and thought that with some tweaking, I'd read it on any old day of the year. For those of you who want a different view of the series, you've come to the right place. Looks, names, places, main plots (example: Bella nearly turning into a vampire in Twilight) will be kept the same. It will be written by Bella's point of view. Updates will come randomly. We are both doing this so I'll let you know when she starts posting. Because I got the first two chapters done (if the preface/prologue counts as one), I figured I'd post this. Reviews are much appreciated, I hope you like it, maybe 100 reviews at least when this whole thing is done? We're rewriting the ENTIRE series, just so you know. No flames, I'm warning you again: this is a rewrite, don't expect all the characters to be exactly the same but the vampires and werewolves are still the same. Sorry if I get some facts wrong, I don't usually read this stuff and also if I accidentally take lines from books or films. If I consciously take a line, it will be bolded. I do not own _Twilight_. Okay, that's enough, you don't really need to read the rest of these Author Notes, unless you want to Private Message me and I'll answer your questions in reviews or messages at the end in another chapter. Alright, let's actually get this started. Considering this is the preface, if it didn't have this long note, it's pretty short. I wanna know if you like where this very small blurb is going. Alright, now I'm actually shutting up.**

* * *

_**S**he remembered the story from her childhood, about Adam and Eve in the garden, and the talking snake. Even as a little girl she had said - to the consternation of her family - What kind of idiot was Eve, to believe a snake? But now she understood, for she had heard the voice of the snake and had watched as a wise and powerful man had fallen under its spell._

_Eat the fruit and you can have the desires of your heart. It's not evil, it's noble and good. You'll be praised for it._

_And it's delicious._

-Orson Scott Card

* * *

_PREFACE_

* * *

I NEVER REALLY LIKED TO PONDER ON THE THOUGHT OF DEATH.

I live by Jack Dawson's memorable speech: make every moment count. I don't think about consequences or the effect something will have on me later. I jump all in and don't dare look down. I guess if I looked down, I'd be too scared to go through with it.

I've lived a life of fear. I was a scared of my father, of what he would do to me. I built up walls so no one could get in and someone had yet to destroy them. It was strong. It was concrete. I was protected and so was my heart.

I would live life like each moment was my last, like I didn't have time to stop and think about the insecurities that could hit me harder than a ton of bricks and it all started when my mother got remarried to a man named Phil.

I liked Phil. I had a good life with him and my mother. He was an minor league baseball player and travelled a lot. Mom usually stayed home with me whenever he left for a few weeks but then I decided to stop being selfish and allow Phil to have some alone time with my mother.

Which meant I was going back to Forks.

Forks, Washington is very different from Phoenix, Arizona. While I've never really had a tan, I know that Forks is worse than anywhere I could be brought with the exception of a Concentration Camp.

Forks was where Charlie was.

Forks was where my walls had first come up, where they were built, where they protected me like a fortress to forbid penetration from unwanted enemies. It was where horrible memories laid.

Forks was awful, horrible and I didn't want to go back as I sat in the back of my mom's car, silently screaming at her to let me out so I could join her and Phil on the road, but I didn't.

She deserved to have some time with her love.

I would have to tough it out.

Keep the walls up, no one can get in. Keep the walls up, no one can hurt me. Keep the walls up and I'm safe.

And then Edward Cullen came.


	2. Home, Bitter Home

**Author's Note #1: So here's the next chapter because as I mentioned before, it was already written. Because in less than the period of 24 hours, I got 4 reviews, I decided to update. Good news, chapter two (or three, considering the preface could be considered a chapter) is done, however the amount of reviews I get will tell me when to post it. I do not own _Twilight_, that right goes to Stephanie Meyer, the author who has many empty-shell characters, all stereo types. I'm hoping Bella's got some more structure to herself in this chapter, making her more . . . human. She's a bit like me, but I don't want to make a Mary-Sue, tell me if you like this personality! Thanks for reviews will be at the end of this chapter! Once again, sorry if I accidentally directly quote the book! This goes by BOOK UNIVERSE with occasional mentions of stuff from the movies, but mainly it's by the book. Ha ha, see what I did there? I know I'm not funny. I should just stop while I'm ahead.**

* * *

Twilight

_1. HOME, BITTER HOME_

* * *

"ISABELLA!"

I ignore Charlie as he opens his arms wide to greet me. He shouldn't be so happy, I'm not nearly as happy as he is and it's making me feel guilty but then I remember this is Charlie and I have no right to be guilty. _He's_ the reason I'm miserable.

I pull my baggage out of the trunk and hull it up the rusty porch steps. I know everything in Forks is pretty old, what with very little renovations and all, but I can't help but be disappointed when my foot falls through the old wood.

"Oh," Charlie says, hurrying to my side, "I can fix that real nice and quick," he tells me, about to put his hands on my shoulders but I jerk away quickly. He tries to mask the hurt but it's obvious in his eyes.

"Where's my room?" I ask him, staring at the porch instead of meeting his gaze.

"Upstairs. Second floor, third door to the right," he says and I'm sure he's realized this will not be the typical father/daughter reunion.

I nod and head up towards my new room, ignoring the slight feeling of guilt in the pit of my stomach.

I know he deserved it, after all he put me through it was beyond reasonable to have something against him yet I can't help the feeling that causes my stomach to churn uneasily.

I open the door to my room and find myself face to face with a rather dusty room. It doesn't look any different than it did when I was here three summers ago, if I remember correctly. I stare at the cloudy sky outside and remember once again, I am not in Phoenix.

I unpack my bag slowly and sit down on the bed.

Forks was never my favourite place to be. I always thought it was too small, there wasn't enough sunlight, the place was too rainy. Even at age four, I knew which places were good and which places sucked. Even though when you look at me, I have pale skin, I do love the sun, the warmth of it on my cheeks and basking in the bright light of another day ... I miss it and I've been gone from Phoenix for less than twelve hours.

Charlie calls me down for dinner and I reluctantly descend the stairs, my pace excruciatingly slow.

Dinner is awkward as I sit across from Charlie, holding back any comments that come to mind. I twirl spaghetti on my fork as he tells me about school and how I'm starting tomorrow. I know he means well and maybe he's gotten over the alcohol, but I can't help but be hesitant.

"Isabella," he says softly and I look up. I want to glare at him, I don't like the name Isabella. There's a reason I like to be called Bella but I don't because his eyes are begging me not to say anything. "I'm sorry," and for a second, I think he means about the drinking, about the violence but then he adds, "I know you don't like Forks nearly as much as Phoenix."

He probably thinks I was too young to remember. Probably thinks that means it doesn't matter what he did when I was younger. I don't remember, why bother bringing it up? Maybe it's because he thinks for some insane reason, the part that I don't like about Forks is because I miss the warmth of the sun, but there are more reasons than that.

"Also," Charlie adds, "do you remember a boy named Jacob Black?"

I shake my head. I don't trust myself to let the matter of my uncomfortableness in Forks drop if I open my mouth. "What about him?" I ask after silence overtakes us for a few moments.

"He has a learner's permit and I have it arranged that he will be your ride to school every day," Charlie says. "Just thought you should know, when the car rolls up tomorrow so you don't think a guy's coming to kidnap you."

"Oh, I'm fine C-Dad," I say, "I can walk," I insist. It's two miles in cold, wet slush and while I don't like it, I hate having to meet someone who has known me before and while they talk to me about things that they remember and I don't, I'm stuck in an awkward position.

"No, I have it arranged with Billy," Charlie insists just as much as I protest. "Because Forks is so small and Jacob is a responsible boy, I think he can drive you to school. He goes to school in a reservation, a school a bit out of town, but I think he'd like to take you."

"I don't want to be a bother," I try again. I will not end up in the back of some boy's car, having him drop me off. The second you need someone else to be your ride to school, rumors start on whether or not your ride is your boyfriend or if you're just poor.

"Jacob is going to take you to school," Charlie says, his voice sounding clear and defiant, "that is final." I am reminded of those nights I spent in my room, nursing my bruises as I tried to look unaffected. I haven't had to fake injuries to get an ice pack for a real bruise since three years ago. I don't want to start now.

"Okay," I say weakly. I don't like being pushed around but Charlie scares me. He looks warm and cuddly but really, he's terrifying when he gets angry. It's one of the reasons my mother left and why I didn't want to be around anymore either.

"Good," Charlie says and he stabs his spaghetti with his fork. I watch as the anger slowly dissipates from his eyes and his focus changes to other things. "So what have you been doing these past years?"

I will let him push me around (but not enough to let him believe he has any control) but does he really have to start up conversation? Small talk is _not_ something I'm looking forward to for the next few months.

"Don't give me this crap," I tell him, "give me a place to stay while Mom goes off to California, fine. Sign me up for Forks High School? Fine. But make pointless small talk with you when I have no intention whatsoever of keeping up with your conversation on pointless things like the weather? You've got another thing coming to you buster," I pull out my chair and storm up to my room, shutting my door loudly.

I let my back fall against the door and push my dull, dark brown locks away from my face. I hold my knees up to my chest but I don't cry. I haven't cried in years, not since I was six and learned to be stronger, but Charlie makes it so hard sometimes. I remember when he used to be so much more caring but once I started doing things he didn't like, he hated me. Still hates me, probably.

I let out a sigh and compose myself.

Tomorrow, I'm going to Forks High School, I'm going to hate it and I'm going to live like the good little girl my mother wants for six months. Once it's over, so will this purgatory.

* * *

I grip my book bag tighter as I step off the porch. I didn't usually leave Charlie's house when I used to visit Forks. I nearly tumble and fall when my foot falls through the broken board in the steps and I'm caught, just when I think my face is about to meet the muddy ground. I look up to see dark eyes and dark hair, somewhat long.

"Uh, hi," the boy says. His face has a little baby fat, I can tell, but I don't really mind. He's relatively attractive, not my type, but still.

I remember Charlie mentioned a ride to school. "Uh, Jackson, right?"

"Jacob," he corrects, frowning slightly.

Dear God, I was right. He is one of those people who knew me when I used to live here and now I've forgotten. Damn it, this is going to be awkward. I pull myself up and dust off my pants, giving him a brief smile. "Sorry, I'm just really tired."

"Understandable," Jacob says, giving me a half-smile.

"So uh, this arrangement," I push a strand of hair behind my ear, the stupid piece always falling into my eyes. "Does it work both ways? You're my ride there and my ride back?"

"Uh, actually, I think you're dad's going to-"

"Please tell me it goes both ways," I say quickly. I don't want to be picked up in a police cruiser. My dad, being Chief Swan to the majority of the population of Forks, is not something I want to broadcast, unless everyone's like Jacob and they remember me while I can't even remember what the weather was like.

"Uh, sure," Jacob says, chuckling softly. Taking out a piece of paper from his sweatshirt, he hands it to me. Its got three numbers on it, one of it is his home phone, the second is his father's phone and the last is his phone. I can tell it's a business card. "Call me when your last class is done."

I snort. "You carry around business cards?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"My dad's forcing me to do it, whole endorsement thing," he says, shrugging. "Not like anyone in Forks would want our help with their car but I figured I'd give it a shot. Besides, I don't have a pen on me."

"Okay," I say, "when you see a number you don't recognize, it's me," I tell him. "So uh ... where's your car?"

The air feels awkward and while some may find that confining spaces like cars don't help the suffocating feeling, I can always roll down the window and move. The faster we get in the car, the faster we can leave and I can start my miserable existence in this town named after a utensil.

He gestures to a rusty, old, faded red 53 Chevy.

He opens the passenger door for me and I get in, confused as to why he's being so polite. When he settles into the driver's seat, the engine roars to life loudly.

I like it. I don't know why, I guess I'm a sucker for some oldies, but I find the old stereo has a special charm to it and while I don't normally do old stuff, I find myself enjoying the large seats and the rough fabric.

"Sorry it's pretty beaten up," Jacob says, backing out of the driveway. "It's sort of old, a work in progress," he shrugs, "my dad won't let me tinker with it nearly as much as I want to but it works, I just have to make sure I stay under sixty miles per hour," he tells me.

We sit in silence until we get to Forks High School. It's a collection of matching buildings with maroon-colored bricks. There's a lot of flora so I'm surprised Jacob could find it.

Jacob starts to back up into a parking spot when a silver Volvo takes his place, moving faster than legal. I roll down the window and stick my head out. "Hey!" I call to the driver who I can't see. The car's windows are tinted so it makes it impossible to see inside. "You can't just do that!"

"Bella, it's fine," Jacob tells me but I ignore him.

Opening the door, I jump out of the Chevy, gripping my shoulder bag. I knock on the window. It begins to roll down when suddenly, it stops. "What's your problem?" I demand, raising an eyebrow. I don't even care who the hell is driving this car, just that I know he's an asshole. I take in a pale forehead and bronze coloured hair, sort of tousled. This person's eyebrows are scrunched up and I can see the beginning of sunglasses which is funny, considering there is no sun.

"Bella," I hear Jacob tell me. His voice sounds cautious, as though this is a battle I don't want to get myself involved in. "Bella, let it go. You're gonna be late for your first class."

I sigh and turn to him. "The jerk just cut you off!"

"Bella, he's right there-"

"No, he's being rude! He could do us all a favor and apologize, then I'll leave. I think you deserve an apology!"

"It's fine Bella, really," Jacob insists, "I shouldn't even be here and if I don't get going, Mr. Jacks will have my hide-" I think I hear the boy in the silver Volvo snicker.

"Is something amusing to you?" I demand.

I can practically hear the teenager smirking, his confidence and arrogance is radiating off him to the point where I will pay anything to smack the smug look that is surely there off his face.

"You should listen to your boyfriend," he says, an obviously amused jeer to his voice. I frown and poke at his window, yelling at him to roll it down when Jacob gets out of his truck and pulls me back, the window rolling up as he pulls me away.

"Bella, calm down," he tells me. "Don't let him get to you, he's a jerk, alright? If it helps, I'll tell your dad to arrest him, doubt it'll do much good but-"

I tune him out as I watch the Volvo move, going to a new parking space, happy I have won the debate. Course, Jacob wouldn't have really used it but still, the small victory counts for something in my mind.

"_OMG_!"

I whip my head around, getting whiplash from a curly, light brown-haired girl. Jacob's eyes widen suddenly and he dashes into his truck. I hear him tell me something about how he's late for first period, but I'm too busy trying to regain my hearing. As Jacob drives away, the girl comes scurrying over to me.

"Did I just see what I thought I saw?" The girl asks and I roll my eyes. Wonderful. I've met the official drama queen and resident popular girl of Forks, Washington. I hate her already.

"Depends, what do you think you saw?" I ask, deciding to humour her.

"Did you just do that to-" she stops and her mouth drops open. She waves her face with a hand for some reason unknown to me seeing as it's freezing cold but she practically melts before she finishes her sentence. "He was just _so_ ..."

Wait, she's talking about that rude jerk who cut off Jacob? Was his forehead that appealing and I just didn't notice or is this girl mentally unstable?

She squeals loudly the way I thought only girls in those horrible horror movies could and I decide it's the latter. She jumps up and down, her hands clapping together.

"Are you okay?" I ask her with a raised eyebrow, not that I really care if she dropped dead suddenly, in fact, I think it would be a relief.

"Yeah, fine," she tells me. She slowly takes a deep breath and puts herself into a "zen" zone. I think my eyebrow might become permanently stuck to my upper forehead from the amount of times I've raised it in the past five minutes. "Oh, you're new in Forks, Charlie's daughter, Isabella, right?"

"Bella," I correct automatically.

"Bella," she echoes. "Such a pretty name," and though she sounds admiring, I get the strong feeling she's lying through her teeth. "I'm Jessica." Her name is unoriginal. Her parents weren't thinking when they named her but she looks like a Jessica. A Jessica I want to keep very far away from.

"Uh, yeah, so I'm gonna go and get my schedule," I tell her and push past her. I don't really care about how rude I probably was, but when I think about it, I really want to get to my next class rather than find out who Mr. Pale Forehead was.

I get my schedule from the front desk and find that Trigonometry is my first class.

Guess who's there?

If you guessed Little Miss Peppy, you're right.

I slide into a seat as far back as I can manage, trying to hide my face. I'm happy the teacher doesn't force me to speak in front of everyone and I stare at my books, using my hair as a shield. I don't like talking in school, I'd prefer to be kept at the back of the class, thought of as a troublemaker than be front and center with the one who grades my marks looking at me patronisingly.

I make it through Trig and get to my next class, being Gym. There's a light brown-haired boy who sits next to me on the bench, his hair sticking up at odd angles, sort of gelled there from what I can guess as he taps his foot on the ground. He notices me looking and I turn away.

"Hi," he says.

I don't reply.

"I'm Mike," he continues though I'm showing very clearly I want to be left the hell alone. "Mike Newton." Whoever says their first names with their last anymore? Like I'm going to call him Newton down the hall? He isn't a brilliant scientist and he sure as hell doesn't look that smart.

"Are you new here?" He asks when I can hear the "oh" that comes out of his mouth when he realizes something. "You're Isabella Swan, Chief Swan's daughter, aren't you?"

I look away, staring at the clock. If I don't look at him, surely he'll get the message and bother someone else, won't he?

"How do you like Forks?"

Apparently not.

"I-"

_RING! RING!_

As cliché as it sounds, I'm saved by the bell.

I scurry off the bench and go to the locker room to get into my usual clothes, checking my schedule. I have Biology next period. I grab my textbook out of my locker and race up the stairs to get there early. I don't want to look too eager but I don't want to have to chance running into Peppy Jessica and Sir Mike.

When I come into the room though, I find that the class is already full, everyone hanging out with their respective groups. Jessica isn't here but Mike sits in the back corner with a friend who looks like a mega dork. I eye the class for an empty seat when they rest on a boy with bronze coloured hair.

I sit down and stare at him.

His eyes are a dark colour, black almost. I'm not sure if living in Forks means you can look like a freak but I feel like I'm surrounded by film stereotypes everywhere I go; Jessica, the popular cheerleader, Mike, the popular joker, that boy who Mike's sitting next to, Chess Club King and Mr. Tall, Dark And Brooding.

His skin is shockingly pale, his eyes and hair contrast him so greatly. His clothes are well-coordinated, looking a little like a smartly dressed teenager in an old time fashion. His arms are as pale as the rest of him, his fingers look nimble as they clench a pen, writing in elegant script that rivals that of the best calligrapher.

"It's you," I say, realization dawning on me.

He grunts in response.

"You're the jerk who cut off Jacob," I accuse. I don't find it an accusation if it's the truth however he stiffens as though caught committing a capital crime and his grip on his pen tightens noticeably. "Hello? Are you deaf? And by the way, just so you know, he's not my boyfriend."

He smirks conceitedly but his grip doesn't loosen. He won't answer me and I'm getting annoyed. Maybe this is how Mike felt but in any case, Mike had no point of actual conversation to have with me, I on the other hand have a bone to pick with Albino.

"You know the least you can do is apologize, if not to him to me," I say. "Did your parents ever teach you manners?"

The second bell rings and I look up to see the teacher, a man by the name of Mr. Banner. When I glance at the teenager next to me to ask if he's a good teacher, I find he's farther from me then he was before. The collar of his shirt is pulled up, like he's shielding himself from some horrible smell. He's as far away from me as he can possibly be and his hand is still tightly gripping his pen as he writes, his knuckles turning paler, if that's possible.

The teacher tells us that we have to draw, identify and explain the inner parts of an animal cell so I take out a loose leaf paper and begin to draw my best model I possibly can with my HB2 pencil. I'm about to identify the endoplasmic reticulum when-

_SPLAT!_

Suddenly, my shirt and my paper are covered in ink. I stare at the boy who's simply continuing to write though very few clots are coming out of his pen. His hand is sprayed with black ink yet his clothes remain fine. There's a huge blot on his paper but he continues as if nothing happened.

I decide if he can ignore it, so can I. I continue to work but the ink's ruined the picture and I need another piece of paper. I start over again and when I'm done, I put it in a pocket of my binder, closing it in case another pen explodes. I notice he still hasn't changed pens and his work is still elegant, his writing still perfectly legible even as the little ink left in his pen is slowly fading.

"You know, now's the time most people would get a new pen," I tell him.

He ignores me.

I sigh and celebrate inside when the bell rings. I get up to leave when I find that he's already up and gone out the door before I can even bat an eyelash. I grab my things and stuff them into my bag, racing after him. I want to know what his problem is, who does he think he is?

When I reach the hallway, fighting through a sea of people I find he isn't there. I frown, confused. Strange. Suddenly, I feel a tap on my shoulder.

It's him.

"Come with me," he says, his voice entrancing. My legs begin to follow as my brain tells me to stop but I still move, my mind shutting down temporarily. He brings me towards a janitor's closet when I snap back into my senses. He gestures with his index finger for me to follow him into the closet but I hold up my hands.

"No," I tell him.

He looks confused. Clearly, no one's told him that before. I think he needs to hear it more often. "I said no," I repeat. "Are you deaf? I'm not going anywhere until you explain to me exactly what you want with me. Why were you so mean to my friend?" I demand. Okay, that's a lie, Jacob isn't really my friend, but maybe I can make him feel guilty. If he thinks he can get away with whatever he wants to do with me, he's sadly mistaken. I think he's starting to realize that he's not getting whatever he thinks he can get. "And why do you treat me like I'm some sort of plague? Do I smell that bad? You smell of too much Axe," I tell him but I'm lying. He smells like spearmint and forest pine trees. I guess you could say he smells like his own personal cologne brand.

He snorts.

"Listen Buddy," I tell him, "you better stop being so rude to me, I don't like bullies and you radiate bullying monster," his eyes flicker with something I can't identify with my last word, but I ignore it, "got it? You aren't the boss of me and whatever charm you seem to have over other girls won't work with me, understand? I've got a brain, unlike some people I could mention-"

"Bella?"

I turn around to see Jessica waving me over to her. I don't want to go so I don't, but my stomach growls and I know I need to have lunch. I turn back around to the teenage boy who seems to be on PMS- That's it, until I know his name, he is Mr. PMS. "This is _not_ over," I warn him and with that, I leave to the cafeteria.

When I sit in the cafeteria at a table to the side, I see him and a group of four others. There's a girl with short, cropped hair, a blonde with striking eyes I can see from where I'm sitting, a broad-shouldered one and a blond who looks like he's kinda constipated. Out of them all, Mr. PMS seems to be the youngest.

"What happened to your shirt?"

I look up to see Mike Newton staring down at me, his food tray gripped in his hand.

"Oh, uh, biology," I tell him.

He invites himself to sit down at my table and smiles at me, showing his white teeth. "I was in your biology class, I didn't notice anything," Mike says. "Am I just really unobservant or are you distracting me?"

I scoff. "I highly doubt that," I respond. "Why don't you go sit with your little friends?" I ask. I want to be alone at this very moment, maybe because of the move or because I've had a pretty crappy day but it doesn't matter, I just want to be alone to deal with the myriad of random thoughts that are swarming through me.

"What if I want you to be one of my 'little friends' as you so kindly put it?" Mike asks me.

"You're just saying that," I tell him. "I'm very bland, mundane, boring. You don't want to waste your time on a buzz kill," I tell him..

"I don't think you're boring if you just came up with three different ways of saying the word," Mike says shrugging. "I don't know, I think you're … interesting. Bet you'd be fun to hang out with-"

"You sure you want to talk to a half-Albino?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"No problem with it," he tells me, "I mean, nothing can beat the Cullens."

"Cullens?"

He nudges towards the table with Mr. PMS. "They're the Cullens," he says, shrugging. "No big deal to me but to the girls around here? It's like there's something in the water. They moved here two years ago from Alaska, adopted by Dr. Cullen," Mike seems to have an underlying tone of envy but I highly doubt he'd be envious of some group of turds.

"Anyway, doesn't matter. What do you have after lunch?" Mike asks.

Cullen, huh? Come to think of it, I could imagine calling Mr. PMS Cullen. "Uh, English," I tell him.

"Oh, I have English too!"

I smile phonily. "Great," I lie expertly, finding myself distracted.

I look back at the five teenagers who don't seem to be eating at all. Their food is on their trays but it doesn't look touched. They aren't looking at anyone else, just talking to each other. They turn away from each other and I see the youngest one moving his lips, but no one has said anything to him. I'm confused.

Cullen.

There's something off about them.

* * *

I take out my phone and find the business card Jacob gave me. I scan it quickly and input his number, also adding it to my contacts. I wait a few seconds until he picks up. "Hey, Jacob?"

"Good to know that you know my name," he says jokingly. I need a good joke after the day I've had.

"School's over, think you can give me a lift?"

"Sure think Bella, I've just got five minutes left of class and I'll be there to pick you up in ten, cool?"

"You're in class?" I ask. "I am so sorry-"

"Hey, chill, I was ditching anyway," he says, laughing lightly.

"Mr. Black, why do you have your phone in class?" An unfamiliar voice demands.

He'd be getting my death glare at this moment if he actually saw me. "I'm shaking my head at you very disapprovingly," I tell him.

"Ten minutes?"

"Ten minutes," I confirm.

"Who was that?" Jessica asks, coming up from behind me. Do these people make any sound when they move? She was creepily silent until she tapped me on the shoulder.

"A friend of mine," I reply.

"Was it your boyfriend?"

Why did people keep thinking that? Do Jacob and I radiate some sort of chemistry signal to the world that will force them to either imply or believe we are in a relationship? "No," I say, tight-lipped.

"He sounded hot over the phone," Jessica says. "Not nearly as hot as one of the Cullens, but …." she trails off.

I realize something. She's Miss Popularity. I've just thought of something she'd be good for. "Hey Jessica," I say, "what can you tell me about the Cullens?"

"Good luck dating one," she says before I can even mention that I don't care about that sort of thing. Why would someone assume I wanted to date one of them? "They're all foster children, adopted by Dr. Cullen," she continues, "but **they're all together, like _together_ together**," she says as though I'm in grade school. At that moment, I see them walk out of the school, books under their arms.

"Okay, see that big tall one with the big shoulders?" She gestures and I nod. "That one's Emmet and the girl next to him is Rosalie. **They're like a thing**," she shivers as though this is disturbing news, but if they're all foster children, it makes sense that they would go out. There's no incest but clearly, Jessica doesn't care about that. "And see the blond one who's standing really close to the hair cut done wrong girl but isn't ever going to touch her?" She asks. I thought the cropped look looked cool but clearly, Jessica disagrees. I nod again. "The blond's Jasper Hale and the girl's Alice. They're a very ... private thing,"

"And who's that?" I ask, gesturing to Cullen/ Mr. PMS.

"That one," Jessica says, her voice turning so dreaming that I start to feel sick but I ignore the queasy feeling her stupid fangirl voice is making me feel and suck it up. "Good luck with him, he never dates anyone," still on the topic of dating, are we? "He thinks he's way too good for any girl here," she sounds as though he's rejected her before. "He's the hottest one," and the PMSing one, I think to myself. "His name is Edward Cullen."

Edward Cullen.

Edward works, I suppose, but I still like my Mr. PMS.

The group of five walk towards the Volvo, turning heads when they walk and Edward opens the driver's door. He gets into the car and hits the gas pedal pretty hard. Before I can feel the urge to tell him to slow down (the price of being the daughter of a law enforcer) the silver Volvo's gone.

The 53 Chevy turns around the corner and the Volvo stops. The window rolls down and I can tell that the two are doing a silent guy thing, the weird nod towards each other in recognition of the other. I roll my eyes. Guys are _so_ stupid.

Jacob comes into the parking lot and I get into the car. He eyes Jessica.

"Who is this?" He asks me.

"Uh, Jacob, Jessica, Jessica, Jacob," I say, feeling awkward. Jessica smiles at him but I know it's just to be polite. "Can I go home now? I have to read _Wuthering Heights_," I inform him, trying to make it sound as though this is a horrible hardship.

"You poor thing," Jacob mocks, "let's get you home straight away."

"Bye Jessica," I wave to her as Jacob pulls me out of the school, one thought racing through my mind:

_There's something strange about the Cullens and I'm going to find out what it is._

* * *

**Author's Note #2: So the following lines said by Jessica are from the 2008 movie, Twilight, (watch the Honest Trailer, whether you like Twilight or not, it's hilarious! Even if you have no clue what Twilight is, it's hilarious!): "they're all together, like, _together_, together." and "they're like a thing."**

**As for why Jasper and Alice are obviously together like the movies are subtely together like in the books is because in this case, they are NOT together and won't be together for a bit because I think they're really cute and would like to write development on their relationship, even if it's hard cause Bella's an idiot and has no telepathic powers while just about every other character does.**

**I'd like to thank the following people for reviewing: Godisgood3, for my first ever review! Happy I got you hooked! unlockedmusic, awesome username by the way, Haquikah and tammywammy9. **

**LISTEN UP! IF I CAN GET AT LEAST 5 REVIEWS BY THE TIME IT IS FRIDAY, I WILL POST ON SATURDAY! IF I CAN GET 10 REVIEWS BY THE TIME IT'S WEDNESDAY AT MIDNIGHT, I WILL POST THURSDAY!**


	3. Secret Poet

**Author's Note #1: I didn't want to update yet until I had 10 reviews, but I decided I was almost there. I do not own _Twilight_. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Chapters 3 to 4 are done as well.**

* * *

_2. SECRET POET_

* * *

JACOB DRIVES ME TO SCHOOL AGAIN.

This time, no silver Volvo interrupts us. I tell him I'll call him when he should pick me up and head towards the front office. The secretary is ridiculous looking and I resist the urge to laugh. "Uh, excuse me, I was wondering if I could possibly change my schedule?"

"And what part of the schedule would that be?" The secretary asks me, not looking up.

"Biology, can I change third period biology to another time?"

"Oh, biology?" She repeats. "I'm sorry but that's not possible," she tells me. "I've had another student come in, asking for the same however I have checked several times, the request is impossible to comply to," she says as though she's sorry but it's obvious in her eyes that she doesn't really care.

"Oh," I say, hiding my disappointment. I turn to leave when another question enters my mind. I turn around slowly and raise a finger, inquiringly. "Who was the other person?"

"Edward Cullen."

"Oh," I say dumbly.

"Is that a problem?" She asks and for a moment, I think she cares but then I realize this woman also doubles as the guidance counselor so naturally she's good at faking empathy.

I shake my head. "No, I was just curious," I reply.

Fine then, I suppose. I'll have to figure out how to sit by someone else. Maybe putting up with Mr. Prankster won't be too bad. Or Chess Club Champion. Then again, who has to sit next to Mr. PMS? I walk out of the office to find myself face to face with Tyler, a boy I met yesterday. Is he in my Biology class? Sadly, no.

"Sorry," I say, ducking my head and walking to my first class.

* * *

I'm writing down my answers on one of my worksheets when I feel a small piece of paper hit my arm. I ignore it and continue to write but then I get another ball sent my way. I hold back a growl and carefully open the note. I see Jessica smiling smugly, as though she's been so discreet at passing the note. I scoff inwardly.

_Heard you have Hottie as a lab partner. Is it true?_

I roll my eyes, unable to stop myself. It takes me a moment to remember what she means by "Hottie". When it settles in, I hold back a snort. Is that all this town cares about? The Cullens? They don't impress me much. Sure, they may have pretty faces, but in the end, that's all it is. A pretty face. I don't get what the big deal about them is. I find them interesting but I won't make it my business to snoop into everything they do.

_Yeah_, I write back anyway.

It takes her five seconds to answer.

_Was he hot?_

I sigh. This is going to be a long class.

* * *

Mike Newton is friendly in Gym class. It's a volleyball unit and I like volleyball, I really do, but the problem is when I used to play it on the beach, I'd play to laugh and stumble into the hot sand. If I play here, I'll fall on the hard floor and need to see the nurse.

"Hey, I'm a team captain," Mike says, wearing a dark blue mesh shirt. "I get to choose who's on my team, wanna join?" He asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh," I reply, unsure. "Okay."

"Great," he says, smiling brightly.

Jessica stands next to me on the court. She has to serve and I can tell, while I'm not the best at volleyball, her posture is all wrong. From the way she's holding the ball and clenching her fist, she could break her thumb in that position. She hits the ball anyway and it swerves off to the side like I thought it would.

"Nice try!" Someone says.

For me, in Phoenix, if someone lost a shot that easy, especially at the start of the game, you'd be branded a loser forever. Things really are different in Forks.

We rotate and when I'm up to serve, I hold the ball correctly, my eyes analysing the playing field. My fingers are pulled into my hand, my thumb brushing against my life line, making an E in sign language. I strike the ball, hitting it with my forearm and it shoots across the gym.

I watch as the poor, pathetic fools try to stop it but it immediately gets us a point.

"You're amazing," Mike says after the game. We won and he's smiling idiotically, saying that he knew I was the right choice. "How did you learn to do that?"

"It's nothing," I tell him, "in Phoenix, that shot would've been considered a rookie mistake," I shrug.

"Does Phoenix spit out pretty girls who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty?" Eric, Chess Club Champion asks. I learnt his name recently, he was the one sitting with Mike in Biology. "If they do, sign me up for the next flight there!"

I roll my eyes. Boys, driven by their libido.

* * *

When I enter Biology, I try to find some other place to sit but find none. I have to sit next to Mr PMS again.

While it seems the girls adore him and the boys envy him because I can admit, he is very handsome, they never go near him. It's like they have a physical appreciation of him yet when it comes to who he is as a person, he's utterly unremarkable. For a guy with a bunch of fans, it's like they'll never try to cross that red velvet rope separating the fan from the object of their obsession while he busts pens open.

"Hi," I say. I tuck my hair behind my ear again, always being stupid and falling into my eyes. I'm ready to start over, I can swallow my own pride if this will get me through the year. I don't like anyone in Forks but it seems, maybe if I can get in with the Cullens, they'll leave me alone, they leave Edward alone at least.

He grunts.

"Look, I think we got off to a bad start," I say, "and I'm willing to put it past us if you are."

I'm not sure if I should be offended, but he's backed away from me again, his side facing me as his collar's pulled up once more. I can tell he's looking out the window, being incredibly rude to me and the least he could do is be nicer, introduce himself like a gentleman.

"Just so you know, I'm not very anxious about this either," I tell him, "and quite frankly, I would rather have a partner who didn't hate my guts and wants to spill my blood all over the floor," at this, he snorts, "so do us both a favour and act a smidge nicer, got it?"

"I-"

"Class!"

Damn it, he was just going to talk. I curse Mr. Banner to hell and back while he simply starts the day's lecture. I listen, not very interested at all. I've done this all before in my advanced program in Phoenix. He goes on about how each part of a cell works and explains to us how to use a microscope.

I doodle in the corner of my notebook, pressing lightly on the tip of my pencil. My hand makes short, quick movements, striking lines that cross the paper, then I shade in and I find myself looking at the picture of an eye. It's an unsettling eye, the irises are dark and the eyebrows make it look protruding but I ignore this and continue until I feel eyes on me.

I look to my side to see Edward staring out the window.

Weird.

I finish my drawing just as the bell rings, making another eye, a creased forehead and an oval shaped face. I might pick up on it later.

"Hey, Bella!"

I turn to see Jessica walking towards me with her friend Lauren. We all walk into the cafeteria and I sit down with a brown paper bag lunch. I look over at the Cullens table and decide to ask what I've been wondering all day.

"If everyone likes them," I start, "why doesn't anyone approach them?"

"They have this . . . attitude," Jessica says, "I suppose you could call it and it tells us to mind our own business, besides, everyone loves a tall, dark, handsome stranger whose mysterious," she gushes and I roll my eyes.

"I'm going to talk to them," I tell her. I push out my chair and stand but she holds me back, gripping my arm.

"You can't just do that!" She says.

"Why not?" I ask.

"They're the Cullens, you can't just approach them like they're just some person you meet on the street," Jessica explains, "They have expectations that apparently, no girl here can meet, I highly doubt you can either," and for once, I feel like she's telling me her honest opinion.

"What's the worst that could happen?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"You could be subject to utterly humiliation for as long as you live?" Lauren interjects. "That's a pretty good reason to keep your head down."

"I'm going," I tell them.

"Not my fault when Emmett cracks your skull open," Lauren says. "I tried to warn you. I'll put it on your gravestone. _Too stupid to listen, here lies Bella Swan_. What's your favourite kind of flower?"

I ignore her and stride over to the Cullens' table. I can practically hear the cafeteria give an audible gasp when I tap Edward on the shoulder and he turns around, surprised no doubt. His dark eyes shock me again but I quickly regain my composure.

"What's your problem?"

He stares at me, confused. He probably thinks he was just eating his lunch, minding his own business, having done nothing wrong, but he's gotten on my nerves in the two days I've known him and no one has ever aggravated me nearly this much.

"Who do you think you are?" I demand, poking him in the chest with each word. He looks . . . amused? Yet I see the blond, Jasper, stiffen. "You think you can cut off other people-"

"Hey, I gave your boyfriend his space," Edward says, laughter in his eyes, so bright compared to the darkness of them. They're depth surprises me but I bounce back up again.

"He's _not_ my boyfriend," I snap. "You can't be that rude to someone you don't know, then pull them aside and try to get them to make out with you in a closet! It doesn't work like that! And when they want to make amends you are not supposed to be a total jerk!"

"So I didn't follow your little script," Edward says, mockingly, "here's some news, life is not yours to control."

He turns his back to me but I grab his shoulder and force him to see me again. "You are not getting off that easily buster-"

He suddenly turns to the petite girl, Alice and shakes his head. I'm confused. She stares at him coldly and yet he still shakes his head. Suddenly, he stops and turns to me. "Aren't your friends waiting for you?"

"They can wait," I snap. He turns to Alice and shrugs. He looks younger when he does it, like he's a child and not some grown man trapped in a teenager's body. "I want to know what you're deal is!"

Jasper seems to be incredibly pale but Edward gives him a glare, as though telling him to stop. I sit down between Rosalie and Alice. "I'm not leaving here until you apologise."

Rosalie's eyes widen and Alice gives Edward a pointed look. He shakes his head.

"I have all day," I tell him and he scoffs, as though there's something funny about this sentence.

I turn to Alice, hoping she'll be more conversational. Edward seems reluctant to move his lips. "Is he always this much of a pain?" His eyebrows crease together, as though insulted but I ignore it. "I mean, am I the only one who thinks he's pretty damn bipolar?"

"He's just very . . . stressed," Alice says. Hearing her voice for the first time, I realise the contrast between her and Edward. Edward speaks gruffly, angrily while Alice's words flow gently from her mouth, as though trying to calm me down. She looks at Jasper, almost urgently and raises an eyebrow at him, as though silently asking him something.

_RING! RING!_

"Wouldn't want to be late, would we?" Edward asks me and I nearly growl. He finds this amusing and smirks at me. Getting up, he and his family leave, their food remaining untouched, wasted. I look at the salad and crutones. The pudding hasn't even been tasted.

I walk over to the cafeteria lady. "I was just wondering, " I begin, careful with my words. I'm going to be late for my next class but I had better make it worth this. "Have you ever seen those at that table," I point towards the one in the far corner where the Cullens were sitting, "eat anything?"

She purses her lips together and I get the feeling she's trying to remember. "I'm sorry dearie, I don't remember," she replies.

I nod. "It's fine, thank you."

As I exit the now empty cafeteria, I silently grind my teeth. When will anyone give me a straight answer?

* * *

"How was school today?" Charlie asks when I sit down to eat dinner. We ordered pizza and his moustache is getting covered in pizza sauce.

"What do you know about the Cullens?" I ask before I can stop myself.

"The Cullens?" He echoes. "Well, they moved here two years ago," thank you buster, I already knew that, I silently fume, "the family is very nice. I thought they would be troublemakers, but I haven't heard a single complaint about them ever. I've spoken to their kids, well mannered and polite. They get very good grades and I think they'll go places," he says.

"Polite?" I snort before I can help myself. Edward and polite don't seem to fit in the same sentence.

"Yes, why?" Charlie asks, eyeing me suspiciously.

"No reason," I tell him, "I was just curious. They seem to be a big talk around the town is all." I shrug, hiding my curiosity.

"Isabella, are you getting mixed up in that sort of thing?" He asks me, his voice soft but demanding. I can tell he's going to lose it any second. "Is there something you're not telling me?" He barks.

"No," I lie expertly but he catches me on it and slams his fork down loudly. The plate and utensils rattle on the table and I try not to flinch.

"Isabella," he tells me, "look me in the eye and tell me the truth.

His eyes are gleaming and I wonder if he's picked up a bottle recently. His fists are clenched and paling as his patience slowly dissipates. "TELL ME!" He barks.

I ready myself and look him straight in the eye. "No, I am not lying to you."

His eyes dimmer down but his grip doesn't loosen on his knife, his posture is still tense. "Good."

"I have to write to Mom," I tell him. "I'll see you in the morning."

I pull out my chair and head to my computer which is plugged into the wall with horrible Internet connection.

_Hi Mom,_

_It's Bella, Forks is great, I love it here._

_It's sort of hard to get used to the rain and the amount of clouds. I miss the Arizona sun, but otherwise? I'm doing great. I've made some friends, Mike, Jessica, Eric and Lauren. They're really nice. I bet you'd love them._

_How's Phil doing? You guys okay? Try not to worry yourself too much, I'm doing fine._

_Charlie's been great to be and I'm getting rides to school each day from Jacob Black. Don't worry, he's trustworthy. Besides, Charlie arranged it himself._

_It's been good._

_Don't worry. Clean._

_I'll write to you as soon as I can._

_I love you,_

_Bella_

Clean. It's our word we use for when Charlie hasn't had any booze in a while. It's like a safe word. I don't remember the last time I had to use it or use the word that told my mother that I was in trouble. I remember the word: ballet. I would bring it up all the time when I told my mother how uncomfortable I was in ballet classes and so it became our warning word. She should know I'm fine. I'm a big girl.

Besides, even if there was a problem, I wouldn't tell her. She deserves peace of mind and I'll take anything Charlie throws at me.

I have my fortress and it's impenetrable.

* * *

"Hey Bella, Coach Clapps wants you to try out for the volleyball team," Mike tells me.

It's been two weeks since I've moved to Forks and I still hate it. Me and Jessica have obtained a certain level of understanding in which we will talk to each other during lunch with Mike, Eric and Lauren but she can't call my house. Mike is more bearable than Jessica who only likes talking about the Cullens, more specifically Edward. He's still a jerk in my book.

"Why?" I ask, curious.

"Says you've got a nice serve," Mike says, shrugging. "Try outs are after school today, you gonna give it a shot?"

"Yeah, sure," I say. "I guess."

"Cool," he says, smiling. "So did you read that chunk for English?"

"You mean did I finish reading it and learnt how to sum it up into a five minute speech to help you pass the quiz today?" I ask him.

"You know me so well," he tells me, smirking.

I roll my eyes. "Alright, fine," I comply, "here's what you have to know-" something hanging on the wall catches my eye. It's a poem written in elegant script on paper that looks like it could be parchment and the words have been written with a quill. I walk towards it, reading it.

_I am the nightmare that you dream of_

_I am the monster under your bed_

_You fear me with every fiber of your being_

_But you don't understand how lucky you are_

_You can watch the sun set and rise_

_You do not have to fear a burning in your eyes_

_You do not feel as though you will turn to dust_

_Should you come at dawn and not dusk_

_Twilight is my secret haven_

_Holding me prisoner but safer than heaven_

_I've doomed myself to an eternal hell_

_Stuck in a limbo in my holding cell_

_The chains restrain me and I cannot win_

_To be what I once was again_

_It is impossible to see the light_

_I wish someone could take these shadows away_

_And I no longer have to wait for twilight, day after day_

_You fear me and wish for me to go away_

_But can't you see?_

_In the light is where I'd rather be_

_But instead I must stay_

_In twilight and not in the day_

_For it is better that way_

_Yet I still hope in vain_

_That twilight will not be all I see for eternity_

"Bella?"

I look at Mike, drawn out of my trance. I recognise that handwriting. I want confirmation though.

"Sorry Mike, you're gonna have to tough it out," I tell him. I know I don't have the time to tell him the answers and besides, he can't just slack off work. He gives me a pouting face but I shrug him off and go to my seat, the poem stuck in my head.

"Uh, excuse me," I say, raising my hand steadily when the teacher sits down at her desk. "Could you tell me who wrote that poem?"

The teacher follows my finger and sees the poem, her eyes sparkling suddenly. "Oh, _Twilight_? Edward Cullen," she says, her voice full of arrogance, as though she had inspired it, "it shows such depth and emotion, doesn't it? The use of night as a cover and the many times of the day to relate to problems." She sighs. Oh God, even the teachers' have a thing for him!

"Oh," I reply.

As I write my name on the top of my quiz, I silently cheer.

I knew it.

* * *

"ROTATE!"

Everyone moves one step to the side, changing up the volleyball court. Mike smiles at me from the sidelines as I get ready to serve. Again, I curl my fingers into my palm and ready myself. Closing my eyes, I hit the ball with all my force and it lands on someone hits it back. That's the first time someone's managed to do that. Maybe I'm not giving them enough credit.

They pass it over the net and I dive, bumping it over to the other side. The ball is volleyed back to us. I go to spike it when I fall, hitting my chin against the hard floor. I never was good at spikes.

"Are you okay?" Mike asks, rushing towards me. "Oh, shit, you're bleeding," he helps me off the floor and tells the coach he's taking me to the infirmary. I feel absolutely fine, my chin is a little numb, I'll admit, but when I press my hand against it, it's not bleeding.

"What are you doing?" I ask Mike, confused. "I thought you wanted me to try out, why am I suddenly in the hallway with a falsely bleeding chin?" I demand.

"I just thought that you needed a break, that guy's been drilling you hard," Mike tells me. "I mean, is it bad to help out a friend?"

I shake my head and hit him across the chest. "I didn't want to be helped, I was actually enjoying that." For the first time ever in Forks, I was happy and then Mike came along and opened his mouth, ruining it. "Now I'm going back," I inform him when I'm face to face with Edward Cullen. When did he get here?

"She wants to go," he tells Mike in a rough voice.

I take out my phone and decide I've played enough for Coach Copps to decide whether or not I belong on a team. I punch in Jacob's number and hold my phone to my ear. "Hey, you can pick me up now." I tell him. When we hang up, both Edward and Mike are looking at me strangely. "What?"

"You have a boyfriend?" Mike asks while Edward rolls his eyes and scoffs. Suddenly, he snorts, as though there's something funny I've missed.

"No, he's my friend and he drops me off and picks me up after school, I thought you'd know that Mike," I tell him, rolling my eyes. I turn to Edward. "What's so funny?"

He immediately stops laughing.

I realise that his eyes are lighter now. I haven't looked him in the eye in quite some time but now they look bright, a gold/brown colour that I can't help but admit, I find very attractive, more so than the dark, black bottomless pits that were a sorry excuse for eyes. But what happened?

"Do you wear contacts?" I ask him, raising an eyebrow.

He looks taken aback and I can practically hear Mike who's trying and failing to stop snickering. He's probably thinking: Did I just point out a possible imperfection of the Edward Cullen? Get used to it Mike, that isn't gonna stop.

"Uh, no," he says, shaking his head, "no, why?"

"Just your eyes were darker last time I spoke to you," I tell him. "Perhaps I'm seeing things," though I know I'm not, I see his shoulders visibly relax. So I was onto something.

_HONK! HONK!_

"I have to go, see you boys tomorrow," I tell them, running outside to meet Jacob.

When I get in the car, he gives me a small smile. "So uh, you know you could've told me you planned to stay late," he says and my eyes widen.

"I am so sorry, it totally slipped my mind, Mike was being pushy and then Mr PMS got involved and-"

Jacob chuckled, amused. "Mr PMS?" He repeats, his chest vibrating as he laughs.

"Edward Cullen," I explain, "and then Jessica was being a pain and Lauren made me want to kill her, Tyler became annoying, Eric was just . . . Eric and-" I stop. I notice Jacob's gone silent for some time. "What's up?" I ask him.

"Nothing," he tells me but he's lying. I'm an expert at lying, I think I can tell when someone else is lying. I raise an eyebrow. "Okay, it's just . . . the Cullens are a topic that really isn't brought up with my family, we don't hang out with them," he explains, "nothing personal to them, I don't understand why we've got this metaphorical lines anyway, but anyway-"

"What is it about the Cullens that make them so … invisible line worthy?" I ask Jacob, raising an eyebrow. What could he possibly mean by that? "I mean, almost everyone seems to admire them-"

"Do you?" Jacob asks, almost as though he fears my answer.

"Yes Jacob, I'm a mindless, brainless idiot who likes people who can't get a frigging tan," I tell him sarcastically.

"Hey, you never know and besides, you'd have someone to join your club," Jacob says. "I hear Edward Cullen's pretty famous amongst the girls at your school," he shrugs, "I don't know, by what I understand, all the girls like him, sorry for making the assumption-"

"Yeah, people don't like it when you do that," I inform him. "It's okay Jacob, just drive me home. I've got a lot of math homework from my devil teacher." I laugh lightly, trying to help the mood which has become somewhat tense.

"Sure," he tells me and slowly, we back out of the parking lot of Forks High School, Edward Cullen and his weird colour changing eyes stuck in the back of my mind,

* * *

**Author's Note #2: Question first before thanking everyone: am I the only one who sees the movie Twilight as a 2 hours movie, waiting for a guy to give a girl a hickey on her wrist? Okay, now thanks to: Haquikah, sportress, guest, supergirl69 and lovetwilight for reviewing! Hope you guys like this chapter!**


	4. Double Helix

**Author's Note #1: Updating faster because I really want to see everyone's reaction to this chapter! I'm working on fixing chapter 4 because I get this feeling it isn't in Bella's new character. **

* * *

_3. DOUBLE HELIX_

* * *

MR. PMS ISN'T AT SCHOOL TODAY.

It's weird when I enter the biology lab and find that no one is in the corner with their collar pulled up or sending silent glares at me. I sit down, uneasy. While I never liked Edward Cullen, the fact that he isn't here seems to annoy me, as though I want to have some weirdo staring at me while I do my work.

"Now for today we will be starting a group project. Your partner is going to be the person who sits next to you. The project is on the topic of genetics, creating a DNA replica as well as labels on each piece. The team that manages this to the best of their ability will win pride, honour and a great mark!" Mr. Banner tells us while I roll my eyes.

Wait, Mr. PMS isn't here.

"Uh, Mr. Banner?" I ask, hesitantly raising my hand. "My partner isn't here, so uh, who . . . ?" I let the question linger in the air.

"When Mr. Cullen returns, the two of you will catch up and work on the project together. This project is done both at home and at school. I will not give you many periods to work on it in class, therefore you want to maximize your time here if you cannot work at someone's house," Mr. Banner informs us.

God, Mr. PMS as a project partner? I am so screwed.

When the bell rings, I walk over to Mr. Banner and wait as he files through his papers, though I'm not in the mood to be very patient right now. When he doesn't look up after two minutes, I clear my throat in an incredibly obnoxious way.

"Yes Miss Swan?"

"I was wondering, about this project," I say slowly, "how many people are in this class?" Please say it's an odd number, please say it's an odd number, please, please, please!

"I'm not sure how this is relevant to the project, but we have twenty-three people in our class."

Yes!

"Well, one person has to do their project solo, don't they?" I ask, walking on eggshells. I really, really, can't do a project with Mr. PMS. While he is smart, (I've learnt as much in class) I don't think we can collaborate together peacefully without him trying to bribe me into another closet and acting like I dumped myself into the biggest waste plant in the world.

"I suppose," Mr. Banner says.

Please see things my way, please see this my way, I silently pray. I haven't prayed to God in a very long time, I'm not very religious but at this moment, if there is a God, he will spare me this torture. "Why don't I do my project by myself?"

"I'm not so sure," Mr. Banner says slowly.

"Why not?" I nearly shout, but I take a deep breath and start over again because I don't think a startled teacher will listen to my logic that much if I'm screaming it in his ear. "I mean, don't I qualify as smart enough to conquer a DNA replica on my own?" I give him what my mother calls the Pout of Doom, where I stick out my bottom lip in a way I find incredibly unattractive and think is incredibly childish. I don't do it often because typically, I frown upon the use of it, but at this very moment, I need it. The main reason she calls it the Pout of Doom is because people fall to their feet and follow my every command when I beg enough.

"While I have no doubt in your abilities," Mr. Banner says, probably careful not to hurt my feelings but he's already hurting them by taking so long to decide if I work with the bipolar nut case or not. "I think it would be beneficial for you to learn to cooperate more in the means of teamwork-"

"But Edward Cullen is not someone who likes cooperating! Have you seen the way he acts around me? It's like I'm some sort of freak who sprouted three heads and he doesn't have a stupid harp to tame me!" I snap, exploding before I can stop myself. "Sir, we cannot work together! Do you not understand that he acts like I'm the bubonic plague? He can't stand me and I can't stand him! You cannot force me to do this!"

Any progress I may have had with him is gone.

He still tries to be gentle despite my attitude so I have to give him some credit. "Miss Swan, besides your ability to work with others, I know for a fact that Mr. Cullen lacks it as well as his siblings." he tells me, tight lipped and curt, "I highly doubt you are the only one who is upset about such a predicament, however I am not changing groups Miss Swan, I'm sorry."

I nearly scoff. I'm sorry. Because that fixes everything! Because that means I don't have to work with Mr. I Can't Stay In The Same Mood Longer Than Two Seconds. I'm so screwed and does Mr. Banner care? Nah, then again, I don't really expect much from some underpaid science teacher.

"As for the fact that the class is an odd number, I can have a group of three-"

"Will that not be unfair to the rest of the class? They only have one other partner-"

"The fact that the two smartest pupils in the class are in the same group threaten them already," Mr. Banner tells me, laughing almost, "ironic, is it not, that these two people are also in need of teamwork skills?"

"You can't possibly give me another partner?" I try in one last attempt to save my head from exploding because of working with Mr. PMS. He doesn't even deserve the Mr now that I think about it. He's just PMS. "Anyone! Mike Newton, Eric? Lauren? Angela?"

"I'm sorry Miss Swan but my final answer is no," Mr. Banner says.

"I hope you can sleep at night Mr. Banner," I tell him, leaning over his desk, "you little conniving professor," I growl.

"Complimenting me will do you no good," he says.

I huff and walk out with my books clutched to my chest tightly, occupying my arms so I don't turn around and nail him in the jaw. I'm told I've got a great left hook; I can break the jaw and make the nose bleed. Too bad I was born with a conscience.

"OMG! Tell me, tell me, is it true?" Jessica demands the second I exit the class. She practically attacks me with questions about Mr. PMS and while I don't want her to hate me, considering she did give me the information on the Cullens, I can't stand her. Apparently, a little crowd has been formed.

"Is what true?"

"That you and Edward are partners for a project?" Jessica asks, fanning herself with an invisible fan.

"Uh, yeah," I answer, trying not to puke from her nauseating voice. I will not use my left hook on her. I'm not even thinking about it. I wonder how pearly white her teeth would look with blood on them? What? Right, focus Bella on the brown haired Barbie.

"OMG!" She jumps up and down and squeals, "EEEEEK!"

I would ask if she was okay, but that would imply caring.

"What's the big deal with him anyway?" I ask her.

"What's the big deal?" She asks me as though I'm some sort of slow person. "Have you not seen his gorgeous face?" She demands, raising an eyebrow. "That man is a god, may as well be Apollo!"

"You do know that Apollo was the god of bachelor, writing, poetry, music and prophecy, right?" I inquire, raising an eyebrow.

"Well who's the sex god?"

"Aphrodite and she's a woman," I tell her, "And what exactly makes you think he'd be a sex god?" I demand. "You don't know anything about him!"

"Like you do?" Jessica snaps.

"I know he's a jerk," I snort. "I don't get what's so great about him."

"You're blind," Jessica tells me as we walk from biology.

I tune her out eventually, focusing on my self control.

I will not hit her.

I will not punch her.

I wonder if she lost all her baby teeth. If I make all the teeth fall out, will she need dentures? I ball my fists so I don't ram her face in, but God does it take restraint. You do not understand how much it's taking me not to hurt her. I should get an award. Really.

Best Self Control goes to Bella Swan.

I'll walk up to the podium and say my speech: "This was so unexpected, really. I mean, it took a lot not to hit Barbie doll out with my biology textbook, which, you know, was probably thick enough to give her a concussion, good thing I didn't," they'd laugh while I smiled and silently thought about how I was serious and not telling a joke. "But really, it takes effort to maintain the control I've gained-"

"Bella?"

I'm brought out of my fantasy by her annoying voice. "Are you listening?" She accuses me. I can't wait until I can ditch her, dear God.

"Totally," I tell her.

Don't punch her. Don't punch her. Don't punch her.

* * *

It's when it gets in my eyes that I realize it's sunny out. I'm in the middle of gym class and we decided to play outside on the basketball court. I missed the net because the sun was blinding me and it's the third day Mr. PMS has been missing. Come to think of it, all of the Cullens have been strangely absent.

Mike comes up to me, smiling. "The people who made the cut for the volleyball team are posted on the bulletin," he says. "Check it out."

I go to the board after class and find my name, Isabella Swan under those who are now proud (not so much for me) members of the Forks High School volleyball team. Who the hell do we play against? We're such a small town, I don't understand how you can possibly play against anyone else.

"Cool," I say, fibbing through my teeth.

"I can't believe you made the team!" Jessica tells me, sounding genuinely surprised while Mike rolls his eyes. I think everyone saw this coming except for her, maybe just because she's a special kind of idiot. "I mean, I knew you were good, anyone with eyes could see that- well, maybe not you," she adds, laughing like a mad woman. Am I the only one who thinks she sounds like she's swallowed a tub of helium?

"What are you talking about?" Mike asks, "Are you blind and you never told us? Cause you know, I'm totally cool with that, blind stuff and all that sort of shit," he tells me and I roll my eyes.

"Jessica just thinks I'm blind," I respond.

"Why?" Mike asks.

"She thinks I've got some sort of brain malfunction because I don't think Mr. PMS is swoon worthy-"

"And who is Mr. PMS?" Mike raises an eyebrow and I cover my mouth. I was not supposed to let that name slip out of my mouth.

"You call Edward Cullen Mr. PMS in your mind?" Jessica shrieks, "She's got some sort of defect!" She exclaims as though I'm not there. I sigh. Yeah, it's called having a brain, you should try it sometime, it's a special deal, two for one, get a brain and you get a life.

"So?" I ask, shrugging.

Mike high-fives me, smiling. "Nice one!"

"It is not!" Jessica says, "he is not . . ." She can't seem to say it, as true as it is, but I don't have a problem with saying it.

"Mr. PMS?"

"Don't call him that!" Jessica snaps. "He's so much more than that," she sighs, "he's dreamy and he's got these beautiful eyes-"

"Which he may or may not use contacts on," I cut in. I'm still not sure what he does with them, but I know that they were pitch black one day and a honey gold the next. They were dark the last time I saw them, but then again, I never really was very perspective. But I'm sure his eyes do a weird eye changing thing though I'll sound crazy.

"What do you mean? You can't get contacts that beautiful," she fauns.

"Uh, yeah, you can," I insist. "You say his dad's a doctor? What's his degree? Plastic surgery?" I snicker.

"He's actually a medical doctor," Jessica says defensively as though she knows the Cullens personally but I know no one does. They are a conundrum to the world. They choose to make themselves outcasts who stand out.

"Most people go for the jock, social butterfly who happens to be an idiot," I tell her, "no one goes for the freakishly pale, cameleon eyed, science genius," I know he's smart because I've seen his marks on some tests where I'd have to bite my teeth and grind them while I silently cursed the world for making someone my equal in science. I really hate that fact, in case you couldn't tell.

"But those girls have never met Edward Cullen!"

"Said by the girl who can't even walk up to him in the cafeteria," I snort.

"Because that went so well for you," Jessica glares at me.

"Actually, I spoke to Alice." I leave out the fact that she only said one sentence to me and that Rosalie, Emmett and Jasper all looked ready to kill me within five seconds of standing within their personal bubble the size of Phoenix and I mean Phoenix, not Forks. It's that big. "Ad besides, do you know anything about him other than his looks?"

"Duh!" She says and I feel like I've caught her in one of those moments when she'll say anything to sound like she knows what she's talking about.

"Oh really?"

"Yeah," she says. She needs to get her voice checked, it just raised an octave. I know girls have "squeaky voices" but maybe she's the one with the defect. You never know.

"Tell me one redeeming quality that has nothing to do with his looks," I challenge her. I can't wait to hear this.

"H-He's . . . he's very quiet." She splutters.

I snort. "So?"

"So you can usually bring a quiet guy home to meet your parents. I bet you he'd make an awesome boyfriend," Jessica says, smiling triumphantly like she actually accomplished something worth celebrating.

"But you know, the quiet ones are also the ones who could be the serial killers, you know that right? I mean, Dexter was the silent type and then he turned out to be an emotionally repressed, traumatized serial killer," I tell her in a soft, spooky voice. She gives me a blank look. "Seriously? Did you ever have good cable?"

She sticks out her tongue to me and I roll my eyes.

* * *

"You're back."

He doesn't bother to bat an eyelash when he sits down at his seat, his back to me. "Look, we have a project to do, mainly at home considering you couldn't bother to show up for three days," I snap at him, "And we happen to be partners. Trust me, I've tried to get out of it, I can't, it sucks but that's life and then you die," he snorts at this. "Anyway, we need to make a DNA replica as well as explains chromosomes, the T,C,A and G parts of the double helix-"

"Got it," he tells me. "What's your address?"

"Because that doesn't sound stalkerish," I say sarcastically. "Why don't I go over to your house to do the project?"

"Because my house is . . . under renovation," he tells me. He's smooth, I'll give him that, but I can also tell that he's also lying from the brief look of guilt in his eyes. Despite what he may say and his body language, that brief look of guilt tells me everything. I'll play along. For now.

"Okay, fine," I tell him. "I live at Chief Swan's house," I inform him.

"You're his daughter, Bella, right?"

"Yes," I say slowly, confused. Typically, people screw up my name when I first introduce myself.** I'm pretty sure Charlie calls me Isabella behind my back.** How did he know I prefer Bella to Isabella?

"I'm Edward Cullen," he tells me but I already knew that. "I'm sorry I haven't been very polite, but I was having an off few weeks," I check his eyes and find them even lighter than a few weeks ago, a hazel color more than a gold. It's beautiful, really but then again, with a possibly-plastic surgeon doctor as a father, I should expect nothing less. "Uh, I just thought I would formally introduce myself and apologize for how I've acted."

"Apology not accepted."

He's not getting off that easy.

"Fair enough," he says calmly. "What can I do to make it up to you?"

I raise an eyebrow. "Would you be willing to do anything?" I ask. It would be fun to see how far he would grovel for my acceptance of his apology. I don't think my word has ever meant that much to anyone ever before.

"Anything." He reassures me.

"Drop dead."

He grimaces. "Everything except that. What good would my dead body do the world?"

"It would give me peace of mind that no one would ever be annoyed by your being again," I tell him matter-of-factly while he sends me a look. "Not my fault that you said 'anything'. I'd think that through next time before I say it."

"See, I'll do anything but that," Edward tells me. "I think Carlisle would get worried if I suddenly tried to pull some suicidal stunts."

"Carlisle?"

"My father," Edward explains simply. He seems friendlier today, only proving my PMS theory and while he is friendly, I'm suspicious. Besides, his answers are sort of tight lipped and he looks a little tense.

"Ah," I say. Deciding we are far off topic, I return to the subject of the school project."So you know where Chief Swan's house is, I assume?"

"Yes," he tells me. "Say we meet on . . . " he pauses for a moment, thinking it over. "Wednesday good for you?"

"Yes," I tell him.

_RING! RING!_

For the first time ever, he does not rush out the door immediately. Instead, he winks at me and says: "Tell your boyfriend I say hi."

I'm fuming as he leaves, waving at me over his shoulder, chuckling to himself from the way his shoulders are shaking lightly. I scream to him that Jacob is _not_ my boyfriend but he's long gone.

PMS it is.

* * *

I'm amazed to say the least when the silver Volvo stops in front of me after school on Wednesday, the window rolling down for me to meet Edward's hazel eyes, his shades tipped over the bridge of his nose.

"Wha-"

"Get in."

"Am I being kidnapped?" I ask when he nods towards the passenger seat next to him which is vacant. I thought Alice sat next to him when he drove. I thought his whole family drove in his car but when I look to the side, I can see a giant BMW with the rest of the Cullens jumping it, Emmett at the wheel. Now that I think about it, the Cullens isn't the right term. Rosalie and Jasper, from what I understand, are not Cullens, but I guess it's easier than saying the Cullens and the Hales.

"If you want to look at it in a certain sense then yes, I'm kidnapping you," he says, smirking at me. "Now are you going to get in?"

"Do you think I'd get into a car with a kidnapper?" I ask, raising an eyebrow, deciding to toy with him.

"You never know, stockholm syndrome is not a myth," he tells me, raising his eyebrow in such a suggestive way, that I laugh at the ridiculousness. From the way he says it though, I'd think he knew first hand. "You ready to get in now? We're burning daylight," he smirks.

"Raelly? Because from the sounds of your poem, you're pretty partial to twilight," I say but I get into the car.

The second my door closes, he hits the gas pedal as harshly as possible.

"**Put your seatbelt on**," he tells me as though as an afterthought. I simply stare at him, confused. "Do you want to die?" He asks me sharply, raising an eyebrow. I'm still in shock as to how much his skin contrasts his dark features.

"Where are you taking me?" I ask, pulling the belt across my chest not because he told me to, but because he drives so fast, I'm sure I'll fall out the window if I don't buckle up right now. "What's going on?"

"We," he says, taking a sharp turn that forces my body to collide with the side of the door, "are going to your house."

"What?"

"Can you not scream like that when I'm driving?" He asks me, taking a hand off the steering wheel to clean out his ear. "Please refrain from high pitch noises like that or else you're going to die."

"And you won't?" I ask, raising an eyebrow at him skeptically. He bites his lip but doesn't answer. "I did not agree to go on a crazy joy ride with you and you're stupid silver killing machine-"

"It's called a car Bella," he tells me, rolling his eyes. "Not a killing machine-"

"Not the way you drive!" I snap. "And put both hands on the damn wheel!"

The needle on the speed of the car is having a spaz attack, rising and dropping at an incredibly unpredictable rate, kinda like Mr. PMS and his mood swings. I grab my phone and call Jacob.

"Calling your boyfriend?" Edward asks me, his voice going from calm to mocking in two seconds flat.

"He's not my boyfriend," I tell him. When Jacob answers, I tell him: "Sorry to tell you this so late, but I've got a new ride home for today. Hope it's not too inconvenient, but you can do whatever you want when you're out of school," I tell him.

"Okay," Jacob says slowly, "but uh, who's your ride?"

"We're here," Edward tells me, getting out of the car.

"I'm sorry, I've gotta go, I'll tell you later, okay?" I ask but I hang up quickly before he can ask me the thousands of questions he probably has, knowing that he probably heard Edward's voice through the phone.

He walks around to open the door for me but I lock it from the inside and refuse to leave. He raises an eyebrow at me. "What's your problem?" He asks me.

"My problem?" I demand. "What's my problem?" I repeat. "Oh, it could have something to do with the fact that I was driven home by a psycho who's got four family members who all seem to emanate 'freak' to the whole school yet have girls- and some guys- drooling on the floor, probably broke the speed limit by moving at a pace so incredibly, freakishly fast that you've probably beaten light in a race-"

"The speed of light is relative," Mr. I Don't Know How To Let Someone Talk Without Interrupting says.

"And you're asking me if something's wrong?" I ignore him while he looks at me incredulously.

"I thought girls like it when guys gave a damn about their problems," he tells me. He runs a hand through his hair and it looks a little messier than usual. He says this as though he's never had a girlfriend, making the rumors true. He really doesn't think any girl's good enough for him. Then again, it also sounds like he doesn't know much about girls at all. "Are all girls this annoying?" He mutters under his breath, confirming my thoughts.

I unlock the door and step out, strutting towards the front door. He looks at me, confused. "Are you coming?" I demand, raising an eyebrow at him.

"What happened to the whole boycotting thing?" He asks me, justifiably confused.

"I'm not going to tell you," I respond. Let him wonder why I seem to be bipolar for once. Let me mess with his mind for a little while and we'll see how much he likes it.

**"Your mood swings are starting to give me whiplash-"**

"Oh, that must be a pain, I wonder how that feels," I reply sarcastically. "Now get your stupid ass over here and we can get started on this stupid project as quickly as possible," I tell him.

I enter the kitchen to hear the front door close quietly and find him standing there, his hands stuffed in his pockets. It's funny, Jessica's right, he is relatively quiet but I feel like I'm right too. I probably shouldn't have related Edward to Dexter because now all I can do is picture him slitting my cheek open while I lay tapped to an emergency room table, nude. I shiver and I think he notices but he doesn't bring it up.

"Now what?" He asks me.

"How about this? You sit in the corner over there, don't touch anything, don't move, don't even breathe and I'll get the model done?" I suggest.

"No breathing?" he says, confused.

"No talking either," I add.

"Fine."

"You're talking," I tell him, frowning. "So disobedient," I mutter.

"I was answering you-"

"Ah, ah, ah," I say mockingly, "what did I say?"

I watch his shoulders slump and he closes his mouth with a fake zipper.

"Perfect."

I've got the design down to how I want the double helix to work when I remember that Mr. Banner wants a swab of DNA from each of his students to look at under a microscope as well as a picture of it.

Taking out a Q-tip, I run it along the inside of my cheek and put it on a slide quickly and slide it under the microscope. I draw it quickly, not my greatest piece of art (but then again, I never really did care about art classes), then turn to PMS.

"Dude, I need a DNA sample," I tell Edward who sits in the corner, unmoving and I can't even hear his quiet breaths. "Dude," I repeat, "DNA sample, get it to me, ASAP."

He looks at me confused. "What's that mean?"

"ASAP?" I roll my eyes. "As soon as possible?" I sigh, "Whatever, just take this and put it on the inside of your cheek," I tell him, handing him a Q-tip.

He stares at it like it's a foreign object that he's never encountered before. "What do I do with this?"

"Run it along the inside of your cheek, duh," I say. God, do I have to do everything for this boy?

He stares dumbly at the Q-tip, then analyzes, as though trying to find a weak spot in the small appliance. He raises it to his golden eyes and stares at it, turning it over. He squints, smells it and even goes so far as to roll it over in his fingers but it never goes near his mouth.

"For God's sake," I sigh. I grab the Q-tip from his hand and he stares up at me questioningly. "All you have to do is put it in your mouth," I tell him. His mouth is slightly open in confusion so I raise my hand to his mouth and begin to insert the Q-tip when his hand reaches up to grab my arm. We touch for a brief moment, his skin shockingly cold. A shiver goes down my spine and I back away.

He looks at the ground, as though caught doing something wrong. "You're cold," I say. "Do you want me to turn up the heater?"

"No," he says through what sounds to be clenched teeth. "No, I should get going-"

"Hey, you're not leaving here until I get my swab of DNA," I tell him.

"It's not happening," he tells me, rolling his eyes, "Accept that fact and move on."

"I need a DNA sample."

"Well you can't have one," he says. "I don't care what you do, you're not getting a sample out of me." He turns on his heel and is about to exit when I run as fast as I can, blocking his path. "Move," he says through clenched teeth.

"Not until I get my sample," I say darkly.

He growls.

He actually, legit, growls, a sound from deep within his throat, bursting out of his mouth in low tones. I bet you there's an empty cage in the Animal Kingdom that says PMS on it. He closes his eyes which appear to have darkened within a few seconds time. "Move," he grumbles.

"No."

"Listen Bella," he says, "I don't mean to sound insulting but if you don't move right this instant, you're clearly the dumbest human being on the planet-"

"No, you listen," I snap, advancing towards him, having him back up, "if you think that for even one second you can leave here without giving me that sample I need, you are obviously delusional. And if you can't understand that fact, then you're the dumbest human being on the planet." He chuckles, as though this is some inside joke. "Give me some DNA and we'll be fine."

"I'm sorry Bella, I can't do that," he tells me in a voice that sounds so solemn, I almost believe him and I would, if it weren't for two things: one, he's not sincere and two, he's PMS.

"Yeah well, you're not leaving here until I get a swab of your DNA, a piece of your hair, or some of your sperm."

He chokes and stares at me, wide eyed. I have to say, I like the look on his face when he's caught off guard, I can admit it looks kinda cute and besides, he doesn't seem like the type to be surprised very easily, it's nice to know i can catch him off guard.

"What about I go home, I get my DNA, I put it under a microscope and I draw it for you?" He offers, desperate to get out of giving me his DNA. I'm pretty confused on how something as simple as saliva can make Mr. Emotionless Brick Wall have a panic attack.

"And the reason why you can't do it here?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"We are clearly both very stubborn beings," he says through gritted teeth to the point where I feel as though he thinks it's painful to be in the same room as me. Gee, I don't feel insulted. "But as I said before, life is not yours to control. You're not getting that sample here. I've got my deal, take it or leave it."

"Fine," I mutter, folding my arms. "But you'd better give it to me at school tomorrow."

He nods and is about to leave when I remember he forgot his jacket. I grab it and hold it out to him. He's careful to make sure we don't touch again, something I'm grateful for, considering it made me feel so cold and alone. He gives me a curt nod and leaves.

I take out the bottle from my pocket, taken from Edward's jacket. It's a coffee mug which he's obviously drank from. I can tell he's probably put his lips against it, therefore, somewhere on the lid, his DNA is there. I take the small bit of liquid and place it on a slide, putting it under the microscope.

I'm in shock at what I see.

The DNA looks strange.

It's like there's DNA, but there's also RNA. Two strands of RNA overlap each other as well as the DNA. It looks strange, almost . . . . mutated. There's some sort of layer that covers the DNA and the RNA wasn't part of it's original structure. Was this why he was so paranoid with his DNA? Because it was somehow . . . _mutated_?

How is it possible? It's far beyond the science I know and I highly doubt Darwin came across something like this when he was in the Galapagos. Maybe this is why he didn't want me to see his DNA? Or . . . _mutant genes?_

"Isabella?"

I jump at the sound of Charlie. I had no idea he had even entered the house, too absorbed in the strange patterns underneath the microscope. I remember with a rush that I did not ask him if I could use the microscope in the kitchen and there's no doubt he saw Edward's car. Damn, I am so screwed.

"Yeah?" I ask, praying silently to God he didn't notice the car, that he didn't see the speed it was racing at and that he would not yell at me.

"Whose car was it that I saw speeding away?" Charlie inquires.

Clearly, God's on vacation.

* * *

**Author's Note #2: Thanks to the following people for reviewing_: Guest, guest, Celena Caine, jlove34, and Haquikah._ Now If you like this personalty, then you might want to check out my own original series, _The Secrets of MapleWood_ at FictionPress. It's the first book in a series, the next book is called _Seeing The Mist_ and I have other short one shots there too. My username is AJ Price. Comments on what you think of that series would be great too! There was a lot of paraphrasing from both the book and the movie but not direct quotes, but I went over it and bolded them.**


	5. Superhero

**Author's Note #1: I do not own _Twilight_ and another fact: this is the one and only time I will update before I've gotten 5 new reviews! If you want another chapter, I need 5 news reviews each time I post! I know that sounds harsh, but that's it. Also, I feel like Bella might seem to like Edward in this chapter, very different from the last one, but she's sort of warming up. I think what Edward does at the end is a) awesome and b) worthy of the cheesy line but she DOES NOT LIKE EDWARD LIKE THAT YET! I don't ow_n Spider-Man_, _The Incredible Hulk, Superma, Batman_ or the _Green Lantern,_ sadly.**

* * *

_4: SUPERHERO_

* * *

"THAT WAS JACOB," I SAY WITHOUT THINKING. I DON'T KNOW WHY I'M COVERING FOR HIM, WHAT WITH HIS MANIAC DRIVING SKILLS I think it's about time he got a ticket, but I suppose maybe it's the new information I've learnt about him, specifically his DNA. I guess he's slowly and I mean slowly, growing on me. I would miss sending him death glares during biology.

"Isabella," I want to scream at him that my name is Bella, not Isabella, not Isabelle, it's Bella, but I don't because I'm already in hot water. "I know everyone in this town and their car. The only people in this town who own cars like that are the Cullens."

"**I thought you said you liked the Cullens**," I say before I can think. I'm doing a lot of impulsive stuff right now and I should probably stop it. "You said I shouldn't get involved with them and I'm not, Jacob's truck broke down and he asked one of the Cullen kids to help him out. They leant him the car and the pedal's more sensitive than the 53, so he didn't realise he was going so fast," I defend Edward. Or Jacob. Or both really at this point.

"Oh really?" Charlie asks.

"Yes," I answer with a straight look on my face. "You can ask Jacob, he'll vouch for me," I challenge.

"I think I just might," and with that, Charlie leaves.

I race upstairs and dial Jacob's number quickly. It's a Wednesday so I don't know what Jacob does besides pick me up as he has for the past three weeks, but I don't care if he's in a life-changing conference right now, I need back up.

"Jacob," I say into the speaker, "I need a favour."

"What kind of favour?" He asks, laughter in his voice.

"I need you to lie for me," I tell him, shutting my eyes tightly. Dear God, what is he going to say? Will he refuse? If he doesn't do this for me, Charlie is going to kill me.

"About what?" He asks instead. Probably wants to get all the dirt on me he can before he sells me out to my dad.

"I need you to tell my dad that you are currently in a silver Volvo, driving around trying to figure out how hard or how soft you need to press on the gas pedal of the borrowed car because your truck broke down."

"That's a very thought out lie," he notes.

"Will you do it?"

"Whose car am I pretending I've borrowed?" He asks.

I take a deep breath. I've heard his opinion of the Cullens which means that even if he is on board with this lying thing, he's going to drop out the second he hears the name I'm about to utter. I bite my lip and say: "Edward Cullen."

There's silence on the other end.

I run a hand through my hair, a nervous habit I've developed and bite my lip.

"Jacob?" I ask. "Are you still there?"

"Yeah," he says and I get the feeling he's been holding back swear words and other things that remind me that he doesn't like the Cullens very much. "Uh, why would I have to lie about a **stupid shiny Volvo owner's** car?"

"I can't explain right now but I swear, tomorrow I'll tell you, just . . . will you do it?"

"I-" Jacob stops. "Hang on, I've got another call."

I wince. It's Charlie, no doubt. My whole life is going to come undone and then what'll happen? Will Edward be brought into questioning when I explain what happened? Or will I lie for him again? Why am I even wasting my good lying skills on a bipolar jerkface who can't handle having a red Chevy in his parking space instead of his own car? I mean, he's a mutant freak, I should be handing him over to the authorities. So why aren't I?

I hear Charlie on the phone. He always talks loudly because he seems to think the person on the other end can't hear him because they're somewhere else on the planet instead of in his house.

"Thank you," he says after around twenty seconds.

I walk downstairs nervously, knowing that everything is about to come undone. I plan the lie in my head and wonder yet again, why am I lying for PMS when Charlie gestures towards the couch.

I sit down.

"So Jacob apparently can't talk right now," Charlie notes, "because his truck broke down and if he doesn't figure out how the and I quote:** 'stupid, shiny Volvo'** he borrowed works, he'll be late for a meeting at La Push beach with his friends."

I silently let out a breath of relief.

I'm safe.

* * *

"Alright, explain," Jacob tells me the second I get into his truck, completely undamaged. Charlie stared at it skeptically when he saw it in the morning, but I pretended that Jacob had fixed it. From what I've heard, of how Jacob's dad and he practically run a mechanic shop, I'm thinking the lie isn't that far fetched. "Why did I lie to your father yesterday?" Jacob asks me.

"Alright, so I've got this biology project, really stupid, building a double helix model of DNA," I say, "and Edward Cullen is my partner," I add. "That's why he was over at my house. Because he had to get home, he left in a rush and my dad saw the car and assumed-" I bite my lip, "anyway, it doesn't matter, nothing happened, he was just annoying," I tell him. "That's why you didn't have to pick me up, he 'kidnapped' me and brought me home."

"Since when do you protect Cullen?" Jacob asks and I can hear the resentment underlying in his tone. "My dad's asking me what I was doing with a Cullen's car, seeing as my uh, tribe, I suppose you could call it, have a thing against them," he shrugs. "Don't know, now I'm in deep shit for something I don't understand."

"I'm sorry," I tell him. "Look, pick me up late, I've got volleyball practice after school, I'll text you when practice is over." He nods and I get out of the car, seeing as we're now at school.

"Are you _sure_ he's not your boyfriend?" Jessica asks the second I approach her.

Since she seems the most welcoming, though I don't really like her, I'm thinking I'll stick around her for a while and then I'll separate from her in the most mutual way possible.

"Yes," I tell her, rolling my eyes. "He's two years my junior," I inform her.

"Oh," she says. "Well, anyway, we've got Trig."

I know that, I think to myself, and I know you're going to annoy me with stupid notes while I try to focus.

"Great," I say, lying again.

* * *

"Here," Edward says, sliding a piece of paper towards me. It's got the title, his name, the date and 40X. I'm still intimidated by his wonderful script and another factor altogether now. I'm rather scared of him now.

I notice it looks nothing like the DNA I saw yesterday.

"Thanks," I say even though he's probably handed me someone else's DNA. I will not let it slide though. I'll let him think that, but there is no way he's going to get away with this.

I hand it into Mr. Banner, both his and mine and sit down next to him.

"It's not yours," I tell him after a moment of silence.

He looks at me strangely.

"The DNA," I explain, "your DNA doesn't look like that," I say. "I've seen your DNA, it doesn't look like that." I try not to tremble. PMS is called PMS for a reason and now knowing there's something wacky with his genes, I'm terrified he'll go Hulk on me or something.

He doesn't answer me but his fists clench and they bunch up the long sleeves of his shirt. He turns his head away from me and stares out the window at the cloudy sky.

I'm not going to believe anything he tells me until he tells me the truth, that his DNA is not what he made it appear to be and that he's mutated in some way or another. Until I get those answers, I am not going to let this die. On top of this, I might even have to blackmail.

It's freaky, his DNA and I'm scared by it but I have to understand what it is that wrong with him before I can bring it to authorities. Why I'm even putting this much thought into it, I don't know. Maybe it's because I want to give him a chance to talk, to hear him out. I could have given it to Charlie, I know, but I also know that he'll ask how I got the DNA or why I was even close to Edward so I'll have to bite my tongue just a while longer. Besides, maybe I can use this to my advantage.

"Just tell me," I try to persuade him, "I can't tell anyone without them finding out you were at my house so if you're worried about the cops, you have no problem. I'm not going to tell anyone." Yet, I add to myself.

He raises a skeptical eyebrow.

"Are you afraid of me?" I ask, astounded when he moves even farther from me then I thought possible. He doesn't answer.

"Gee, I love one sided conversations," I snap. "So what was it?** Radioactive spider?** Gamma rays? Uh . . . I got it! **Kryptonite**," I joke, trying to make him feel more comfortable. Not to sound sexist or anything, but isn't it usually the guy comforting the girl and trying to make her feel welcome? "What's your story? Neglected nerd at school with a weird obsession with science? Traumatic childhood? Left your planet when you were a baby?"

"Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, Superman**, those are all superheroes, aren't they?**" He asks me finally, not looking at me but talking nonetheless. His voice is soft, quiet almost. It could sound charming if I wasn't more focused on the fact that he's a mutant.

"Well, The Hulk is debatable," I say, shrugging. "You know how he loses control when he transforms and tries his best to be good but every now and then, it's a little hard."

"No," Edward says, his voice still soft, "No I don't know."

"What, no Marvel or DC in your childhood?" I ask him.

"Uh, not exactly," he mutters.

"You've got a boring and old name in common with Peter, Bruce and Clark, if that helps," I say. "I was just wondering," I bite my bottom lip, "what exactly are you trying to hide?"

"I wouldn't be much of a superhero if I told you, now would I?" Edward asks, his tone lighter than usual but there's still something bitter in his voice. "Then again . . ." He trails off.

"What?" I ask. This is the most progress I've ever made with this grumpy, PMSing guy. I will jump at the chance to find out anything I can about this enigma.

**"What if I'm not the hero? What if I'm the bad guy?"**

"So you're the Joker?" He looks at me confused. "Never mind. Either way, don't the superheroes usually live in places like New York or . . . Gotham City?"

He gives me a strange look, raising an eyebrow. "What makes you think Batman doesn't come here on his vacation days?" He asks, laughter twinkling in his eyes.

"Dude, pick an emotion, you're driving me insane," I say. "Are you happy, upset, creeped out, joking, bitter?"

"A combination," he answers softly.

"Wonderful," I mutter. Well there went progress. "Look, can I come over to your house to do the next bit? My dad will lose his mind if he finds one more silver Volvo near the door."

"I uh," Edward looks out the window, as though Mother Nature will tell him what to do. "Okay," he says finally. "Okay, but you can only come on Friday from four till five," he declares, "the second that clock strikes five, you had better be leaving." That's barely an hour to work on the project, but it's the most I can get from the sounds of it and while I would normally try to bet for more, I don't want to get on his nerves. I will do anything to figure out just what he is.

"What happens after five?" I ask, before I can help myself.

He opens his mouth, though I highly doubt he'll tell me when-

_RING! RING!_

I take it back. The bell that saved me that first day has now betrayed me and made me miserable. Wonderful.

* * *

"Let me guess," I say, eyeing the car. "Get in?"

He smirks and I open the passenger door. I sit down and slam the door shut. I told Jacob that he didn't have to pick me up today because I was getting another ride home and at the moment, I've got Edward Cullen's Volvo to get me home by five o'clock sharp. I put my seatbelt on quickly before he can hit the gas pedal.

"So tell me, where do you live?"

"Because that doesn't sound stalkerish," he tells me, mockingly repeating my words from last week.

"By the way, how many lies will I have to tell this time?" I ask him.

"Hopefully none," he answers. "I suggest that we cover the model at your house and the paper's done at mine, considering the paper will take less time and we can't transfer the model from house to house." I want to ask why it's better we spend as little time as possible over at PMS's house, but I don't.

"Are you actually going to help me this time?" I ask, still slightly on edge over the fact that his genes aren't quite . . .. normal. I forgot as we sat in the car with the wind rushing through my hair that the teenager beside me isn't genetically correct.

"Are you actually going to let me?"

"Touche," I say, smiling despite myself.

"We're here," he tells me.

I look up to see a giant house with large glass windows. It's got a certain charm to it, sort of intimidating and if it wasn't in the clothes that they wear, I'd be able to tell they were loaded from the front door itself.

"Uh, come on," Edward says awkwardly. He gestures towards the front door and opens it for me.

"Whoa," I turn in a slow circle, staring around the room. While I know that no, Edward is not exactly normal, that doesn't mean that looking into his house, I'd expect it to be strange as well.

I don't see any family photos, the kitchen looks creepily clean and as for the living room? It doesn't exist but there is a room with a beautiful grand piano. "Who plays in your family?" I ask, eyeing the instrument.

"Uh, I do," Edward says, awkwardly rubbing his neck.

"You have a grand piano just for you?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"It's more of a hobby than anything."

"Does Alice know how to play?" He shakes his head. "Jasper?" Another head shake. "Rosalie?" He seems a bit like a robot, continuing to shake his head. "Emmett?"

He snorts.

"What? You don't think he could play it?"

"He's Emmett," he says, as though this explains everything, which it does. I guess no one in Edward's family really has potential to play. Looking at his fingers briefly, I see they're delicate. While some people have calluses from playing guitar, sports or some other hard labour, he's got frail bones.

"So the paper?"

"Right," he says. "I'll get the paper-"

I try to grab his arm but he pulls away before I can touch him. I remember his freezing cold skin and I'm happy he stopped me. "Uh, you don't actually plan on writing it, do you?"

"What else would we do?" He asks, raising an eyebrow. Suddenly, his eyes go wide. "You don't think we're gonna-"

"What? No!" I say before he can even finish that sentence. "No! While some may find you incredibly attractive, I may just be either asexual or a homosexual," I tell him, "I mean, don't get me wrong, you are attractive, just not that appealing to me," I tell him, the exact words running through my mind. He is attractive, yes, but to me? I've seen better. I can see in his eyes though, he relaxes yet at the same time, he looks slightly upset. Damn him and his unpredictable mood swings.

"So what's wrong with writing the paper?"

"You plan on writing it by hand?" I ask.

"Is there something wrong with that?" He asks, confused.

"Just, computers get it done much quicker and it's also much easier, your hand never gets tired, simple, kinda like texting put with a bigger keyboard."

"Texting?" He asks me, raising an eyebrow.

"You don't know what that is?" Did this guy live under a rock his whole life? "You know, when people send you stuff and your phone pings or whatever strange noise it makes so you can get the message sent by your annoying friend?"

"Pings?"

I can see the genuine confusion in his eyes and quite personally, it shocks me. He does look a little old fashion in the way he dresses and the way he wants to do things but is he really that clueless?

"Never mind," I say instead. "So uh . . . how do you want to write this?"

"I was thinking something a bit like . . . " Edward takes a few moments to think, probably trying to find the right words for what he wants to say. "Focus more on the structure of the DNA rather than how it was found or things like that. Pointing out things like how you get medical diseases are all in the genetic code so I guess focus more on the genetics and structure and why it's like that rather than the finding of the genetics and structure. If that makes any sense."

"For a poet, you're pretty bad with words," I say, raising an eyebrow.

"Excuse me, poet?" He asks, sounding thoroughly confused.

"_Twilight_," I reply. "The poem you wrote for school." His eyes widen with realization. I think I brought it up before, but clearly, he can't remember anything very well.

"That poem," he says, scratching his head. "I uh, didn't remember. I wrote it two years ago, I think," he replies. "Anyway, uh, can we get started? You have your biology textbook, right?"

"Yeah," I answer. I take out my book and my computer which I kept inside my bag.

"What's that?" He asks me.

"My laptop," I answer, "why?"

"You can't get any connection from here," he tells me. "My family and I, we, well we kind of like privacy. No social media or anything like that for us. Kinda old fashion," he says, shrugging. "Sorry."

"Oh," I reply. "Alright." I put away my laptop and stare at him as he begins to write at the very top of the paper, the words _Decoding DNA, by Edward Cullen and Bella Swan_ in beautiful script.

"You really shouldn't put my name on that," I tell him.

"Why not?" He asks, not once looking up at me.

"I'm not really writing it from the looks of it," I reply. "I just think you might not want to give credit where credit isn't due," I explain.

"But it's our project," he answers.

"Yes, but-"

"So that's it," he says. He retraces the words Bella Swan in pen and underlines it. "There, now you're definitely involved in the creation of the paper," he smirks.

"Shut up," I tell him.

"I'm not saying anything."

"You're smirking," I snap, "it's annoying me."

"Smirking annoys you?" He asks. I nod. "I'll be sure to do it more often." I clench my fists, annoyed but he doesn't seem to care. "Okay, we've got a little under forty minutes to get this whole paper done-"

"I can't just come over some other time to continue the paper if it's not done today?"

He looks at me shocked and confused. Just when we were getting along.

"You _want_ to come over?"

"Well, it's sort of school, so-" I see his face fall, it's the slightly, almost unnoticeable and I want to grit my teeth. Bipolarness strikes again.

"I just don't know another time when we can possibly be in this house without-" he stops and bites his lip. "Look, times when anyone can come over to this house are very rare so be happy you got through the front door."

"Okay then," I say, somewhat confused. "So you ready to get cracking on this thing seriously?"

"Yeah, sure," Edward says but I notice that his knuckles are turning white as he writes, much like when we first met. I carefully pull the pen out of his hand and his cold skin accidentally brushes against mine. He apologizes while I try to stop the great shiver that goes through me.

I carefully put the pen on the counter away from him.

I can never be too careful.

"Just like Jasper," he mutters and I look at him, confused.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing," he tells me.

"No, tell me," I want to know everything I possibly can from him, it'll help with the whole police report. "I want to know."

"It's just . . ." He bites his lip. "Jasper's always cautious of everything I do," he tells me. "He won't let me leave the house without an umbrella in the trunk of the car, in case it rains. He doesn't like being unprepared."

"Really?" I ask. "I mean, I'm scared of getting struck by lightning but I don't wear rubber all the time," I say. I watch his hazel eyes slowly begin to twinkle in amusement. I feel like an invisible barrier's fallen down, or at least cracking slightly. I'm making dents.

"Yeah, it's stupid, we call him a worry wart," Edward supplies, continuing to write. "There was I think one time it was actually useful. We went on a family vacation when we were in Alaska, visited Canada during the winter. It was snowy all over the place so we assumed we'd be safe from any rain storms, you'd think but we were going out for dinner when we heard thunder. Jasper ran to the car and got the umbrella, screaming 'I told you so!' the entire time," he chuckles softly. "Loves gloating, Jasper does."

"You gotta tell me more of those stories," I tell him, "I'd love to hear them."

"Really?" He asks, astounded. I guess no one really takes interest in him or he's totally blind to all the girls who drool at him. He rubs his neck and gives me a half-grin. "Maybe when this is done."

* * *

"So what happened after that?" I ask him, trying to hold in my laughter. After thirty minutes, we managed to finish the entire paper which is two pages, back to back making it four, all written in Edward's nice script. I didn't know he was someone who could joke around. He's keeping his sort-of-promise, telling me more stories.

"Well, Emmett did what Emmett does best," Edward replies, "blamed it on Rosalie."

I continue to laugh, nearly falling off my chair as he cracks a half smile, nothing full blown and I find I can see the attraction the girls hold for him but the thing is they don't even know this side and they're blown away. Kinda superficial, they are in my opinion. I could understand a girl falling for this Edward, the charming one who can tell stories that make your sides hurt, very different from Closed Off Edward.

Suddenly, Edward's face pales, even paler than usual. "We have to go."

"What?" I ask, my laughter stopping halfway out of my mouth. "What are you talking about?"

He grabs his jacket from the back of the chair and tells me to get up and begins to pack my bag with my biology textbook. "I miscalculated and you are very . . . distracting," he tells me when he throws me my bag and runs to the door faster than I can see.

I catch up to him to see him opening the door to the Volvo. I run down the steps and find him out of the car, opening the door and shoving me into the car. He slams the door shut and is about to hit the gas pedal when I hear,

"Edward?"

He winces and shuts his eyes. When he opens them, he slowly gets out of the car and faces Alice and Jasper who are standing next to each other, Alice looking slightly upset. He was trying to escape his family? I check my watch. It's five ten.

"Alice," he says.

There's silence when he says: "Jasper, shut up."

Jasper hasn't spoken.

"Edward, do me a favor," Alice says, "Tell Jasper he's being ridiculous."

"About what?" Edward asks, looking between the two of his siblings.

"He thinks that my thoughts on our relationship are ludicrous, says we won't work because I'm vegan!" Alice complains, her voice still melodic however. "I can't believe you!" She says, turning to Jasper.

"I'm telling you Alice, if our views on food are not the same, I can't have you disgusted every time I want to hunt-"

"It's not hunting, it's slaughter but I can look past that! Why can't you look past it for me?" Alice begs and I can practically hear her heart breaking. She's very open. PMS should take a leaf out of her book.

"Alice, Jasper," Edward says, "you might want to cool it-"

Alice's eyes widen. "She's here?" I get the distinct feeling they're talking about me.

"I was supposed to leave earlier but-"

"Edward,** you know what happens if this ends badly,**" Jasper says through gritted teeth. "You have to get her out of here and get over your stupid infatuation-"

"I don't have an infatuation!" Edward snaps, his voice low and menacing, a chill going down my spine.

"Then why is she here?"

"A school project," Edward says with a clenched jaw. "Nothing more, nothing less."

"But you want there to be-"

"It can't happen Alice," Edward says sourly, bitter like someone has recently killed his grandmother. "You of all people know that, don't you?" He snaps. "I'm going, tell Carlisle that I'm just getting something to eat."

"But-"

"I'll see you later," Edward tells them and he walks to the car and opens the door, slamming it shut. He hits the gas pedal hard and I'm brought to my senses. He shuts his eyes tightly. "Tell me you didn't hear that."

"I didn't hear that."

"Funny," he says and while he does sound upset, his lip is curling and I can tell it isn't from anger. "Damn it, why the fuck do you have to be-" he stops and silently curses under his breath. "Alright, I gotta get you home."

"Uh, so I have a question," I say, deciding from the conversation I heard, it's time to press him for answers. He almost got me to forget about the whole DNA thing, but now it's fresh in my mind."Whose DNA did you give to Mr. Banner? It looked solid, double helix and all but where did you get it from?"

"I'd rather not say," he tells me through gritted teeth. "Look, can we just drop it?"

"I can't just drop it when my science partner is a freak of nature!"

"_Nature_," he scoffs, "_I'm a freak of nature? Nah, I'm a freak of life._ Nothing natural made me like this," he says, snorting as though the mere idea is preposterous. "**Why don't you tell me another one of those stupid theories you have? I need something to cheer me up**," and I know he's talking about the conversation he had with Alice and Jasper, not that I can see how it's upsetting.

**"If you think they're stupid, I won't tell you,"** I say in a fake huff.

"Fine, oh Queen of Greatness, shower me with your wonderful, scientific and Stan Lee theories that rival the brilliance of Albert Einstein!"

"Thank you," I tell him and he snickers. "Well, there's the one about the Green Lantern."

"What?"

"It's an organization, they have different people who take on the identity of 'Green Lantern'. I get this feeling that whatever you have, your family has too. I mean, Dr. Cullen from what I've heard, is far too young to be the father of five."

"We're all adopted," Edward tells me.

"I know, but still, he can't be any older than late twenties, early thirties oldest," I say.

He chuckles to himself as he parks the car in my lot.

"You've had a good day, I hope?" He asks me, almost nervous.

"Yeah," I respond. "I actually had fun," I say, surprised myself. I knew I was warming up to hm, just not this much. "We should do this again."

He smiles for a moment, not a smirk, not a half-grin, not some sort of fraction that isn't a full smile, he full out smiles at me and I think his teeth should come with a warning label. While I'm not that shallow for looks, anyone can see he's gorgeous. He frowns suddenly. "I don't think we can."

"Aw, scared of Jasper and Alice?" I tease.

"Just . . ." he stares at the steering wheel of his car. "Look, we'll talk about this later," he tells me instead. "Get out and get upstairs, Charlie's wearing holes in the floor."

I get out of the car when I hear Edward mutter: "Shit."

Less than a millisecond later, Charlie is storming down the porch's front steps, glaring at the Volvo. Edward keeps the window rolled up, smart move, then again, Charlie's the police and I told him I know about his weird genetic abnormality. He must not believe me when I tell him I won't tell.

"Hey Dad," I say, showing not a hint of nervousness.

"Isabella," he says, "is it Jacob again or is it actually a Cullen?" He barks.

"Look, Dad, we were just working-"

He snorts. "Of course, you were working. With a shiny car which can get you out of town and out of sight in less than five minutes, you were just working. Was it good for you both? Did you tell him to pull your hair? Did you take it up the-"

_SMACK_!

The Volvo goes into drive and pulls up right next to Charlie, the car door opening and smacking him in the head. He lies on the pebble road, out cold.

"DUDE!" I yell.

"Sorry I just lost control-"

"That was awesome!" I try to give him a high five but he raises an eyebrow at me, obviously confused. "What?"

"I just knocked out your father," Edward says slowly, "And you want to celebrate?"

"He was an asshole," I say simply. "I mean, you're also an asshole so I should probably attack you with the car door too, but I don't own a car door. Maybe I should call Jacob and his Chevy can cut you down for size."

"Uh, I don't think that's necessary," Edward says quickly. Too quickly.

"What? Do you and your mutant friends turn into uncontrollable green men with anger management problems when long haired pubescent boys hit you with their 53?" I pause a moment. "Oh yeah, you already have anger management problems, you're like . . . pale Bruce Banner."

"What kind of a last name is that?" Edward asks suddenly when he sees that Charlie is slowly starting to wake up. He opens the trunk of his car and takes out a baseball bat. Handing it to me, he gets back in his car and drives away.

He may say he's not the hero, but in this moment, I kinda like to call him my Superman.

* * *

**Author's Note #2: Thanks to _Haquikah, Celena Caine and stakshipari_ for reviewing! I'm working on chapter five, it's a work in progress. There is more paraphrasing and also the fact that the part in italics with Edward is cause I imagine him saying it like he did in the movie: "Beautiful? It's the skin of a killer." By the way, am I the only one who didn't know killers have sparkly skin? The majority of the bold is paraphrase or somewhat similar and I have to admit, I loved the line: "What if I'm not the hero? What if I'm the bad guy?" FAVORITE TWILIGHT LINE AND TYPICALLY, I REALLY, REALLY DON'T LIKE TWILIGHT! There are a few more lines I like, but not many. Anyway, 5 reviews or no update at all.**


	6. Detention

**Author's Note #1: I do not own _Twilight_, or the _Green Lantern_. I like baseball though, does that do me any good? This chapter is probably going to be the shortest of all the chapters I write. I don't own _Grease_ either. I just love the movie. And John Travolta was awesome in the movie.**

* * *

_5: DETENTION_

* * *

"HERE'S YOUR BAT."

These are not words that ever crossed my mind, not words I thought I'd ever say, but right now, I'm standing in front of Edward Cullen and his stupid shiny Volvo, handing over his good grip baseball bat on a Monday morning after Jacob dropped me off. Wow, never thought I'd say that before.

"Keep it," he says, getting his books out of the car. "I have tons. My family and I really like baseball." I raise an eyebrow. I didn't picture him as the altheletic type really, kinda like Danny Zuko from _Grease_, really handsome and admired but not at all a jock. "**It's an American pass time.** Did it help?"

"I didn't smack him, if that's what you mean," I tell him.

"But you said and I quote 'an asshole'."

"Yes, but I also said you were an asshole and should be hit by Jacob's car but we don't see that lovely event happening, now do we?" I ask him, raising an eyebrow.

"That's because Jacob Black would rather touch me with a ten foot pole before he knocked me out using his car," Edward says, chuckling softly. "Now, as for you, you have Trig, don't you?"

"How did you know that?" I ask him, raising an eyebrow. "Do you stalk me?"

"No," he says and he doesn't look guilty. He's getting better at lying, I can give him that but I don't believe him. "Look, just get to your Trig class so you can pass notes to your idiot friend."

"Jessica is _not_ my friend," I say, defensiveness creeping up into my tone.

"Tell her that," Edward says, smirking. "I have to go, I have English." He slams the passenger door shut and walks off when I realize, the Cullens and Hales (gotta give Jasper some cred) are in the giant BMW, all glaring at him as he leaves. Their unsettling eyes glare at me as well and I think my Green Lantern theory has been proved. Whatever's wrong with Edward, as invisible as it seems to the human eye, he and his family have it.

* * *

_I saw you get picked up by Edward. So you gonna tell me why your "boyfriend" didn't pick you up that much last week? Or the week before?_

I want to congratulate her. That's the longest note she's ever sent me but that just means it'll take longer to answer and it'll be boringly annoying. I am so going to kill her. Her slow, awful and imminent demise is planned in very precise, very clear detail in my mind.

_Biology._

Huh, so I don't need to answer with something long and boring.

_Give me more juice, Sista._

Oh God. If she thinks we're "Sistas" she's got another thing coming. I am so _not_ her "Sista". I don't even like her. In fact, I really wish I had punched her last week and that she was in the hospital but clearly, I can't tell her that sort of thing or else I'm in deep shit with her. Why am I keeping her around at all? I don't even remember my reasoning.

I ignore her note but she sends another one.

_Did you do it?_

Does she think I'm some sort of slut? I would never do that with Edward Cullen, never mind any boy at school. Didn't I make it very clear to her that my opinion of PMS was strictly annoyance? I shrug off the note and continue to take notes in class when I get a:_ you think he's hot, don't you?_

Her notes are starting to hurt my side, poking me because she insists on folding them to look like little pyramids. Maybe I should just stop opening them. I continue to ignore the next one.

And the next one.

And the next one.

And the next one.

Finally, I turn to her and snap: "Would you quit it?"

"Excuse me?"

Damn it, the teacher heard. I wince. He walks over to us and looks at the small bunches of papers on the floor. He bends over and picks them up, then walks over to the front of the class. He opens them and begins to read them. I've heard people do this in movies or books, but this should never happen in real life.

_"I saw you get picked up by Edward. So you gonna tell me why your "boyfriend" didn't pick you up that much last week? Or the week before?"_

He reads it aloud with a very girly voice, obviously trying to humiliate us but it's clear only she'll be humiliated since I only sent one reply. I can hear the murmurs though throughout the room. No doubt they noticed me having a new ride home, they probably think they'll get some juice on me.

_"Biology."_

They all sigh, obviously disappointed.

_"Give me more juice, Sista."_

I look to my side and see Jessica beginning to shrink in her chair. Clearly, she remembers the next one she sent and she doesn't want to see the teacher read it.

_"Did you do it?"_ Followed by:_ "You think he's hot, don't you?"_

I don't know what's in the next four notes. Dear God, what if it humiliates me?

_"I'm going to take your silence as a yes and it was fucking awesome."_

Okay, God? Please tell me you're finished your break and you can come and spite me? You can hit my Trig class and destroy us into little bits. I won't mind Jessica's head falling into the teacher's lap and then maybe making him implode too?

_"So was he big?"_

Kill me. Kill me. Please, I wouldn't mind a short life of seventeen years.

_"Oh, you're silent again. Was it that bad?"_

The teacher's getting uncomfortable. Great, maybe he'll stop and he won't read the last one. Please don't because at this point, I'm totally ready to die and I want the world to swallow me up into a small hole and take me away to hell or somewhere teachers can't publicly humiliate their pupils.

_"Or could it mean that he wasn't as big as one of his siblings? Did you do all the Cullens? Did you do Alice and Rosalie? Do you swing that way? Was Jasper good? How about Emmett? Who was better? Oh! Did Dr. Cullen get you against his medical examining table? That's always been a fantasy of mine."_

_RING! RING!_

Suffice to say, it's utterly humiliating.

"Girls, you will have a detention," the teacher tells us, his face almost as red as mine. Oh God, I so want to kill her. _Screw self control, Jessica Stanley, you die. You die hard._

I leave with a detention slip in my hand.

* * *

"Hi," I say, sliding into my seat next to Edward which is slightly awkward considering period one went so well with Jessica. I won't tell him about it though, it's best to keep it to myself. He nods in acknowledgement of my prescence. **I thought we were past that point already, seriously?**

"Hey."

One worded answers. Oh, I live for them. Note sarcasm. "So uh, I just have a question regarding your family," I say hesitantly. This was something that had entered my mind when I was lying in bed at night, thinking about Edward and his family, mainly because I had his bat in the corner of my room. "Alice is a vegan?"

"Yes," Edward says, though he looks ready to laugh. "We all are."

"Except Jasper," I remember.

"Except Jasper," he confirms, "we're working on that though," he adds.

"So uh, if you're vegan, how come during lunch you guys happen to have hamburgers on your lunch trays?" I know this sounds stupid, why question his choice of food, but maybe it has something to do with his genes, there's something about it that takes a large amount of his life. I feel like it isn't just him hiding an identity, more like he's hiding an entire life that he can't break away from, something that makes it impossible for him to fit in by putting on a pair of geeky glasses and working for a newspaper.

"Pardon?"

"I mean, vegetarians don't eat meat," I explain, "but hamburgers are made of meat so why would you have that on your food tray?"

"The lunch lady," Edward says quickly, "she says we need iron and stuff like that," he explains.

"But there's a vegan menu-"

"We don't want to bother her," Edward cuts me off.

I nod but I'm still very suspicious and will ask about it later. He kows this too. Another thing is bugging me. "Jasper says he hunts," I say slowly.

"Yes?" Edward responds, taking out a notebook and writing down notes. I look at him strangely. "I'm going to at least try to make it look like I give a damn," he says, shrugging.

"Okay," I say, "but anyway, isn't hunting illegal? And typically, hunting implies using a bow and arrow."

"Jasper doesn't use a bow and arrow," he tells me, "he's never even touched one."

"Then how does he hunt?" I press.

"He uses traps," Edward says and while I can tell he's telling the truth from his eyes, I also feel like he's lying to me.

"Normally, people who eat meat go to a fast food joint or to a supermarket," I tell him. "I know you guys seem to be old fashion, but that's neanderthal level," I say.

Edward chuckles softly as his hand moves swiftly across the page. "What's with the sudden interest in our food choices?" He asks, looking up at the board briefly to rewrite a sentence from the board.

"Just . . . curious."

"Curiosity killed the cat," Edward points out.

"Ah, but satisfaction brought it back," I challenge him, raising an eyebrow. He gives me a lopsided grin, his eyes shining as I bask in the glory of winning the small dispute.

_RING! RING!_

I get up to leave when I hear Edward clear his throat and I slowly turn around, eyeing him curiously. "What's up?"

"I-" he stops and stares at the black table top, his eyes flickering between me and the counter. "Never mind."

"You sure?" I ask. He did knock Charlie unconscious for me, the least I can do is care if he's okay and in his right state of mind, right?

"Yeah," he tells me, clearing his throat, his voice sounding gruff for a moment. "Go, your friends are waiting for you."

* * *

The second I enter the cafeteria, I see Edward is sitting with his family again. He gets up and walks over to the small salad bar and smiles at the lunch lady. I forgot to pack a lunch. Great. More PMS. Considering our talk in class though, maybe he'll be more friendly?

I am eternally grateful he is _not_ in my Trig class.

"Hey," he tells me softly.

This is new. He never starts conversation with me ever. I look up and see that the lunch lady is looking at Edward with a surprised look. I never took the time to realize it, but she's relatively pretty with auburn locks and a petite figure. Why is she raising an eyebrow at him?

"Hey me?" I ask, turning to him.

"Who else?" He asks, raising an eyebrow at me.

The lunch lady covers her mouth with a gloved hand. I think she should mind her own business.

"Saying 'hey' in a crowded lunch line is very generic," I tell him, rolling my eyes. "So you wanna tell me why you're suddenly talking to me or do I need to come up with another theory cause I'm pretty stuck on the Green Lantern one," I say.

"When do I need to come over to finish the model?" He asks me, almost carefully as though this is a question he has to be cautious of.

"Uh, I don't know, Thursday? Why?"

"Curious," he mutters. I raise an eyebrow but don't say anything as I fill my plate. The lunch lady is giving me the creeps. "Bella," he says suddenly and both me and the lunch lady share the same shocked expression.

"What?" I ask him.

"I uh-" he stares at the ground. "I heard you got detention." I get this feeling that wasn't what he wanted to say, but he chose it instead. He's smiling. Damn it, does he know why? "Passing notes in class. I know you're not one for the rules-"

"What rules? That I should follow random guys into broom closets?" The lunch lady looks at Edward in a scolding way which confuses me, but I don't comment.

"I was wondering if you wanted a way out. Of detention, that is." Edward offers.

"And that would be?" I inquire, interested.

"Well-"

"Are you sure that skipping detention is the right choice?" The creepy lunch lady asks, raising an eyebrow and giving Edward a pointed look.

"I don't think it's your business," Edward snaps at her, "who are you, my mother?" He seems to chuckle as he says this, almost like it's an inside joke. He leans closer to me, almost hesitantly and whispers into my ear: "You up for busting out?"

"Unless you can make the detention slip I hold in my hand disappear, I highly doubt it's even possible," I tell him, rolling my eyes, showing him the detention slip written in my Trig teacher's messy writing.

"Can I see that slip for a moment?" Edward asks softly, somewhat similiar to that first day of school that I had almost forgotten. I hand it over. "Watch this," he tells me and then he begins ripping it up, slowly so that each tear echoes in my ears. He lets the now shredded paper fall to the floor. "Magic." He says, showing me his now empty palms.

"Very funny," I answer but I can't help trying to hide a laugh. "It's in the school system."

"I'm not very good with computers," he says, "but I still think I can bust you out. If you want to, that is," he tells me softly.

I smack him in the chest lightly. We're in the middle of a lunch line, what does he think he's doing? He flinches, but I doubt he even felt it. Why'd he flinch? I decide to ignore it and let it slide for once. I think I've been a little hard on him recently.

"What do I owe you if you bust me out?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. Growing up with Charlie, I learnt nothing comes free at a young age.

"No charge," Edward tells, smiling.

"I might take you up on that offer," I reply, walking away.

"WHO LITTERED?" I hear someone scream and find that the principal's standing in the doorway, staring at the ripped up detention slip. I try not to laugh as Edward slowly sidesteps away from the remains of the note and taps a random guy on the shoulder. His lips move but I can't hear but the principal can, somehow, (I think he has a litter radar or something) and he strides over to the two.

"You have a detention," he tells the boy Edward tapped.

I cover my mouth to stop from laughing as Edward shrugs innocently.

Cheeky bastard.

* * *

I'm on my way to the detention hall when I'm tapped on the shoulder.

I turn around to see a short haired girl who seems to remind me of a pixie.

Alice Cullen.

"Hi," I say slowly, confused as to why she's approaching me. Besides Edward, no other member of his family has attempted to interact with me in any way more than they have to. "Did you want something?"

"**You're good for him,**" Alice says and I raise my eyebrow, confused as to what she means. "Edward," she supplies.

"PMS?" _Shit_! That's the second time I've let it slip and what's more is Alice is his sister! Oh Dear God, I am so screwed. I fight the blush that's about to rise up on my cheeks and watch as her brow furrows, then she seems to realize what I meant. She smiles? She's happy?

"You're good for him," she repeats, as though this will help me understand her any better.

"I'm glad?" I answer, uncertain.

"Oh no, trust me, it's a good thing. Almost no one can get under Edward's skin, never mind irritate him that much," she realizes what she's said and covers her mouth, letting out a small gasp. "I mean, that was meant in the nicest way possible. Edward doesn't really like to . . . get close to people, he's very kept to himself but I've never seen his eyes hold this . . . this glow when he gets home from school. I've never seen him this . . . happy before and I've known him a long time." she adds, her eyes widening as though to emphasize the point. "You make him feel . . . _alive_," she says this laughing slightly, as though there's a joke I've missed. The Cullens have too many inside jokes "He'll never admit it though and can you keep this conversation between us? He told me to tell you something, but he'll kill me if he finds out I mentioned his growing fondness," she says sheepishly. I nod, really confused. "Anyway, he wanted me to tell you to . . . well, this is going to sound strange, but he told me to tell you to block your nose."

I raise an eyebrow. Okay, that's weird, even for PMS.

I walk into the detention hall and take a seat near a large window, Coach Clapps sitting at the desk in front of everyone, staring boredly into space. So detention's also boring for the teacher? Good to know. I put my hands on the table, folding them and stare outside, the gloomy weather still strange to me after a month. Five more months of this and I'm home free.

I sit, watching the seconds on the clock tick by so incredibly slowly, I want to die. God, this is going to take forever. I have an hour of boredom in detention until I get to go home and everyone is ready to leave, all packing up to go home, talking to each other. In five minutes, no one but me and the few kids in detention are going to be in this godforsaken building.

The sound of feet passing by the door resonates in my ears, each sound louder than the last because I'm so bored. I run a hand through my hair, taking out a small notebook which I kept in my back jean pocket and I start to draw underneath the table, out of Coach Clapps sight.

I draw dialated pupils, dark eyes that gleam with an evil purpose. One eyebrow is raised while one narrows in a challenging way and as I continue to draw, the features of the face are sharp, clear and rough. The cheekbones are high and the mouth is set into a curling as though this person's rather undecided but putting up a face. The shading is minimal, darker around the eyes but otherwise pale. The hair is done so it sweeps over their forehead, a little bit messy in a way that reminds me of Edward's hairstyle, sort of, but with some changes. My pencil graces over the mouth again, retracing the lip when I accidentally brush a triangle near the curve of the mouth. I stare at it. it looks . . . like a fang.

_Clink._

I see a small test tube is under my foot. I stare at Coach Clapps, who looks ready to fall asleep and carefully bend down, picking it up. I roll it over in my hand, a dark blue liquid gas. I try to think what it could be for when I get an idea. I see an oppurtunity and uncap the bottle.

_"He told me to tell you to block your nose."_

I immediately cover my nose, common sense taking over. Nothing PMS said got me to do this, it's just logical that when a stink bomb comes in, I will react by covering my nose. I place it on the ground and push the sink bomb under my foot and slide it near the vents which happen to be near the window and I realize how fortunate I was to sit where I am. The stink bomb's smell goes in through the vent and the fumes come out.

Coach Clapps starts to cough, covering his mouth.

"What's happening?" I hear Jessica ask, her voice high pitched and girly, like she just broke a nail. "OMG!"

"Coach Clapps," I say, my nose covered making me sound a little weird, "I think something from the biology room might have exploded and let out horrible fumes. What if it's toxic?" I demand, The smell has gone underneath the door and now you can probably smell it in the hallway.

"Yes, everyone leave!" He tells us but I can see Jessica reaching for her phone, quickly dialing someone's number. Great, let me guess; she thinks she's going to die, therefore she needs to make that one last phone call before the Lord takes her. Probably to reschedule her pedicure appointment.

We all rush out the door, scurrying as the horrible smells engulf us. The stink bomb's effective, I'll give him that. How he made one, I don't know.

We make it until the cafeteria, the school's still full of all it's students when suddenly, alarms go off and the front door is closed and so are all the emergency exits. The sirens continue to blare and the whole school stops in their tracks. The windows are shut and we're all gagging, confused.

Over the PDA system, I hear: "No need to worry students," really? Cause I'm worrying a little right now, I think to myself, "but because of a contamination and an unknown substance which has entered the school, someone has alerted the police and we are currently about to go under quarintine for the time being."

I _really_ hate Jessica Stanley.

* * *

**Author's Note #2: So thanks to:_ Haquikah, lilmissbecki, Maddy, Celena Craine, satakshipari and Guest_ for reviewing! Now i will not update until I get at least 30 reviews, (I'm not asking for 30 for a single chapter, more like the number next to the review is up to 30!) I'm really liking writing this and on top of this, that scene with Edward in the cafeteria with the detention slip? I imagined one of my characters from my original stories dong that. His name is Chase and it would've been hilarious to see just anyone do that in general. Some stuff that is mainly paraphrasing, though I do love Edward's response when in Twilight Bella asks: "Vampires play baseball?" and his answer is: "It's the American pass time." Anyway, yeah, so review, I'm working on chapter six but nothing if I don't get at least 7 more reviews, even better, push me to get it done faster by giving me 15 more reviews. When this done, I hope to get at least 100 reviews.**


	7. Quarantine: Part One: A Siren's Song

_Author's Note #1: I don't own **Twilight**, **Don't Go Breaking My Heart,** (I considered **The Lady Loves Me** but decided against, but listen to both, seriously, Elton John and Elvis Presley rock!) the **High School Musical** franchise, or **Romeo & Juliet**, though I doubt the copyright laws apply considering Shakespeare's pretty dead. I'll explain everything at the end and you'll also get furthur information. This is the first of a two part series for the quarantine cause it's gonna be a bit long. Thanks for the reviews are, by this point you should know the system, at the end of the chapter._

* * *

_6. QUARANTINE_

_PART ONE: SIREN'S SONG_

* * *

"YOU JUST HAD TO HELP HER, DIDN'T YOU?"

I can hear the loud voice even from across the room. I spot Edward and the rest of the Cullens and Hales together, standing by the window together, all talking. I slowly creep up closer and while everyone's depressed that for Friday, they will not seem to go home, I think they're mad for a different reason.

I press my back up against the wall and peek to the other side to see the one known as Rosalie glaring fiercely at Edward while Emmett and Alice stand by his side. A family feud? Who's going to win the most cash? Okay, bad joke.

"Look, I wasn't thinking, alright?"

"Damn right you weren't thinking," Jasper growls. He typically looks ill but at this moment, he looks unsteady. He's biting his lip and his eyes are raging, it's obvious. He swallows loudly so I can see and hear his Adam's apple bob. "Christ, what do we do?"

Edward smirks.

"Now is not the time to joke!" Rosalie snaps, glaring harshly at Edward.

"We're stuck in this school until otherwise stated," Rosalie says, "you do know what this means, right? We could potentially miss our weekly meal," she snaps. I know that Rosalie is pretty and thin for a reason, but does she only eat one meal per week? Wait, do they all eat one meal per week?

"I know, I'm sorry," Edward says, "Look, now is not the time to worry about that, I'm more concerned about the weather. You remember the forecast, right?" He grimaces as does everyone else. "I'm sure it'll only take a few hours and we'll be out of here, the stuff in the bottle was hardly toxic, it was some noble gases combined together with sulfur to cause a dreadful scent, not to terrorize a high school."

"I'm confused, I don't speak science geek," Emmett says, "I'll support you through this, you know that, maybe you'll have better luck than I did, but this girl had better be worth it and besides, you know what happened when Alice got involved with a-"

"Shut up Emmett," Alice snaps, her voice suddenly powerful. She doesn't look happy. Bad memories? And who are they talking about? Could they possibly be talking about . . . me?

"I told you to get over this infatuation of yours-"

"It's _not_ an infatuation!"

"No one likes a liar Edward," Jasper says. I can tell that besides this little dispute, he and Edward have a relatively solid relationship from the way Edward takes the blow. He's not used to Jasper getting mad at him or saying something against him. I know that when it comes down to it, Jasper would probably fight by Edward's side but at this moment, the two of them begin a stare down.

"You like her, admit it," Rosalie challenges. "You really like her and because you're letting your emotions control you, we're all going to have to suffer," she grinds her teeth as she flashes angrily at him.

"I like her," Edward says, "but not like that, okay? I think she's interesting, alright? That's it. Nothing is going to happen, nothing will happen, nothing can happen," he tells them, "and I was just helping out a friend, alright?"

So they _are_ talking about me.

Wait, Edward considers me a friend?

Well, you learn something new every day.

"Just watch what happens," Rosalie growls and Edward rolls his eyes. I get the feeling he's used to patronizing glances from her more often than Jasper. "You're going to doom us all because of some downright bitch-"

"Said by the biggest bitch herself," Edward says, "That's calling the kettle black," Edward glares at them, then turns away to leave when he collides with me. I can't help the shiver or the feeling of discomfort when he touches me.

"Sorry," he says, about to walk away when he stops and turns to me. "What did you hear?"

"Nothing," I lie expertly but he isn't convinced. Is he rubbing off on me?

"You should learn that it isn't polite to eavesdrop," he growls.

"Yes well, it isn't nice to kidnap people either so I guess we could both learn a lesson or two in manners," I snap. "What's going on with your family? Ad were you guys talking about me?"

"Someone's egotistical," he snorts.

"Yes, because you mixed the noble gases with sulfur for Jessica Stanley? Or was it for that guy you gave a detention to?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. He looks at me torn, like he's been caught. "I don't want to come between you and your family," I say, "if you want, I can just leave you alone-"

"No," he says, his voice loud, almost scared like when he says it. He bites his lip. "I meant, uh, you don't have to, I can handle it, it's my family after all," he chuckles softly, "aren't they supposed to get on your nerves?"

"I wouldn't know," I reply slowly.

Edward clears his throat awkwardly. I don't like this. While the conversations between us have never been rivetting, they've never been awkward either. "Uh, so, sorry about the whole quarentine thing," he rubs his neck almost shyly. This is the first time I have ever seen Edward Cullen act shy. It's cute.

"No problem," I lie to him. I find myself doing it more and more.

I hear people coming around the corner to see Emmett and Alice talking. Emmett stops by us and says: "Whipped!"

Edward smacks him upside the head while Emmett laughs.

"So apparently, that's what Edward meant when he said to block your nose," Alice comments as she and Emmett settle to speak to us.

"Oh come on Alice, you saw that coming," Edward tells her and he grins that blinding grin.

"Yes, well that doesn't mean I think you should've done it," Alice mutters.

"You're whipped," Emmett smirks.

"Shut up," Edward tells him and though he's snapping, he also seems to be laughing. How can he possibly feel two emotions at once? It's strange. He needs to tell me what he's thinking, I can't play guessing games all the time and quite frankly, I'm getting tired of playing charades.

"So what? Are we stuck sleeping here?" I ask.

"Until furthur notice, yes," Emmett says, "we can thank Romeo for that-"

"I'm dead?" Edward remarks, "huh, I never knew that. What year did I commit suicide?" He smirks, grinning lopsidedly. "And where's Juliet?"

"Right next to you," Alice says, smiling.

"I'm not some blonde bimbo who decided to give away her innocence at thirteen!" I cry, "God, what is it with people thinking I'm a slut recently?" I run a hand through my hair and I realize that while they were joking, it's been getting to me and I've just exploded.

Emmett stares at me strangely as does Alice while Edward frowns.

"You're not a slut," he tells me, "If anything, I'd think you were a prude."

I want to say that I'm not, but I realize he's probably right. I've never had my first kiss and I'm scared when others try to touch me. Charlie traumatized me at a young age and I suppose another reason I back away from Edward is because he's male and he could be dominant and rough like Charlie. I've started to become used to those chills I get whenever we touch. It's still unpleasant, but the initial shock has slowly worn off.

"Yeah well," I bite my lip, I turn to Emmett. "Could you do me a favor?"

"Me?" Emmett says, surprised no doubt that I'm addressing him rather than Edward. The whole Cullen Clan probably realized I'm much more comfortable around him than anyone else in their family, though Edward still makes me uneasy and I always have it lingering in my mind that he could hurt me. "What do you want?"

**"Run Jessica Stanley over with your BMW."**

"You don't think my Volvo would suffice?" Edward asks, sounding wounded. He covers his heart in mocking pain. "Why don't you get your boyfriend to smack him? I've knocked out one of your targets, get the old truck to run Stanley's sorry ass over."

"You ran over someone?" Alice asks him, wide eyed.

"No," he tells her, "can you imagine the blood that would come pouring out of that guy?" He shivers though at the same time, I can see in his eyes that he's not nearly as put off about the thought than he appears. Why is that? He sounds both disgusted yet elated. "Carlisle wouldn't want to clean up that mess," he shakes his head, "No, I smacked him in the head with my car door."

"Eddie's getting rough!" Emmett teases when Edward puts an arm around Emmett's neck and pulls him down, trying to get him in a headlock. I snort.

"Are they always like this?" I ask Alice.

"They're being immature," Alice responds, "Normally, Edward's the most put together out of us all," she notes, "he does tend to act childish sometimes though," she laughs, "ironic," she mutters but before I can ask her to elaborate on this, she continues, "either way, nothing gets to Edward better than that nickname."

"Eddie?" I ask.

"He hates it," Alice says. "Told Carlisle the doctors were evil enough giving him some name from a Jane Austen novel, why make the name even worse?"

"He hates his name?" I ask, "I don't mind it, I mean, it's not the _nicest_ name out there but I don't know many people with the name. I tend to read about people with the name more than have it," I add, "but it works for him." I look at him sideways. "He's definitely an Edward."

"Well, tell him that," Alice says, smiling. "You boys done yet?" SHe asks the two who are still childishly fighting except Emmett now has Edward in an awful position, his arm held behind his back while he's pressed against the floor.

"Say it," Emmett taunts Edward who only smirks at him.

"Never."

"So juvenile," Alice remarks. "So did you have any plans this weekend?" She asks me.

"Not much-_shit_!" I race down the hallway and nearly crash into my locker. Opening the door, I grab my laptop and slide to the floor, opening the lid carefully. I quickly open my e-mail and find about fifteen messages from my mother.

_Shit_! She's going to kill me.

I quickly open a new window to begin a letter.

_Hey Mom,_

_I'm sorry I didn't get back to you soon enough but I've been busy with annoying tests and all the homework the devil teachers are piling on me. I'm having fun, by the way. The rain's still the most dreadful thing to ever happen to me and I hate the fact that I can't go outside without a thin jacket but I do like the town's people._

_I nearly got a detention today, but it turns out, it was all a misunderstanding. My teacher thought I was passing notes in class._

_You asked about boys last time we spoke, didn't you? Well, besides Jacob there's Mike, Eric, Tyler and the Cullen boys and the Hale boy too. They're not that much to see-_

"Telling your mother blatant lies, are we?"

I jump.

I look to my side to see Edward leaning against the locker next to me, reading what I was writing. "Did you not tell me I was attractive recently?" He asks, wounded from the sound of it. He places a hand over his heart and I wonder why on Earth he's so bipolar. Why can't guys just be easier to read?

"You're a better liar verbally," he tells me.

"It's not a lie," I snap, "it's the stretching of the truth."

"Yeah, okay," he says. He fake coughs. "Liar." I want to glare at him when he grabs my computer and begins to type, his fingers moving swiftly across the keyboard as though he's done it all the time even though he's said before that he doesn't even know what texting is.

Two minutes later, he hands it back to me.

_You asked about boys last time we spoke, didn't you? Well, besides Black, there's Newton, Yorkie, Crowley, Emmett, Jasper and Edward. So let me tell you what I think of them, shall I?_

_Well, Black's a fag._

_Newton should get hit by an apple, he'd be a lot more useful to the world if he could figure out what gravity was in the first place, never mind discover it._

_Yorkie should go to New York and change his name to Yorker._

_Crowley needs become a scarecrow and go singing with a tin man about how he wants brains._

_Emmett's pretty cool, I'll admit but he's not the _hottest_ boy I know._

_Jasper's pretty nice too, he's quiet and he's kinda paranoid, but he's still cool._

_As for Edward? Where do I begin? Let's start by saying I didn't wait till marriage. He had me on a wall, hard and nice, I think you might have heard us actually. Have you heard the sound of a loud, orgasmic nuclear bomb of pleasure cry anywhere near town? Yeah, he's so good and he's doing me right now so I've gotta go! Bye!_

"Against a brick wall?" I can't help it. It's the first thing that comes out of my mouth. Edward shrugs. "Honestly, if anything, I thought you'd be much more of a gentleman," I say, pretending to be disgusted, "I would've thought you would've waited until we were inside before you fucked me senseless."

Edward's mouth drops open and it's priceless.

"You did her against a wall?"

I jump. People need to stop doing that whole silent moving thing. Mike Newton is leaning against the wall, opposite of Edward. What is it with guys and leaning?

"No he didn't!" I say before I can stop myself.

"True," Edward says, "She's lying, I banged her at La Push Beach in the water," Edward smirks at the look on Mike's face.

"He's such a liar!" I snap, smacking him in the chest.

"No way!"

I recognize that annoying over dramatic voice anywhere. The Barbie is back. "She's totally flirting with him!"

"Hush," I hear Angela say, "Let's just see what happens." I will not turn around and let them know they've been caught, I think I'll let them believe they're epic spies a little longer.

They are _so_ good at whispering. Not.

I smile wickedly. I have an idea.

"Wait, I'm confused," Mike says slowly, "did you do her or not?"

"He hasn't," I answer. I slowly stand up, my back brushing against the annoying locker but I pretend it doesn't bother me and turn to Edward. "Yet." I come closer to him, staring him right in the eyes, watching as his pupils dailate. They're a hazel color, but I feel like they're slowly becoming darker.

"Edward Cullen," I tell him, leaning close to his ear, whispering but loud enough for anyone to hear. I know, oxymoron, right? "Fuck me right now, against these lockers near the bright windows where anyone can see us."

"OMG!"

I pull away from Edward and smirk as Jessica comes out of her horrible hiding place and Angela follows. "I can't believe this!" She cries and with that, she turns away, probably to Tweet something along the lines of_ OMG! Edward Cullen's doing Bella Swan in the hallway! (fake gasp)! It's scandalous_! Idiot needs brains.

I turn to Edward, about to thank him for letting me act, but he looks at me with dark eyes still and I think he's realized this is all just an act. I swear, his shoulders slumped for one second, but now they're tense and he seems stiff. "I was wrong," he says, his voice husky. "You aren't a prude."

I'm waiting. Waiting for him to prove me right. Prove to me he's just like Charlie. That he _doesn't_ care what I say, that he's only playing a part for those around him or to make me fall for him (it's not working anyway. Not much at least). I'm waiting for him to call me a slut. For him to call me a whore. I'm waiting for him to slap me or push me or show me he's no better than Charlie, that he's like every other male, one who wants control over the females who are, in their eyes, the lesser species.

"You're a tease."

Most people would relax at this point even if they were in my position, but I'm even more tense than before. A tease. He's called me a tease. I'm waiting for him to grab me by my hair and smash me against the locker. I'm waiting for him to do just what I told him to do except this time, it won't be an act and he'll get that blood he supposedly dislikes. I'm waiting for him to dominate me, to make me feel weak and powerless and I'm ready to hate him.

Instead, he pushes off of the locker and walks away.

Maybe he is different. Just maybe.

The lunch lady gives us food and I sit down in the corner without Jessica. I'm sure if I sit next to her, I will hurt her and she won't be able to move for a good six weeks. I don't want a bad record with my dad being a cop. She gives us sushi and chopsticks to eat them with and I think she likes watching some kids struggle to use them properly.

Edward is waiting in line when I get up and walk over, my tray abandoned.

"Hey," I say.

He turns to look at me. "Hey me?"

"You need to stop stealing my lines," I tell him. I look at the food on his plate, then at the lunch lady. "Excuse me, but do you have any vegetarian sushi?"

"Yes," she responds, "do you want some?"

"Oh, it's not for me," I say quickly, "I love meat, steaks every night, uh, but he's a vegan," I nod towards Edward who gives the lunch lady a look that I would never dare give someone with authority (or who puts food on my plate).

"Oh, I'm sorry," she says. She puts new food onto his tray and he grits his teeth. She turns to his friends. "Are they vegan too?"

"Yes," Edward says through gritted teeth. "Except Jasper- I mean, **the blond one who looks like he's in pain,**" Jasper glares at him for this but Edward ignores him. "Bella, why don't you lead the way to the table?"

"But we have a-" Alice begins when she stops. "Lead the way Bella."

"We are but your humble servants," Emmett mocks, gesturing towards the small area of the cafeteria. "Your choice my Queen, where will it be?"

"Oh shut up," I tell him, going back to my seat where my tay is.

Edward surprises me by sitting down next to me. Alice sits on my other side and Emmett sits next to Edward. Rosalie and Jasper stare at us awkwardly, then Jasper sits next to Alice and Rosalie takes a seat next to Emmett.

I take out the chopsticks and begin to flex them with my fingers.

Edward stares at me.

"What?" I ask him through a mouthful of food.

"How do you use those things?" He asks me, confused. "And why don't you just stab it with a fork?"

"Because some people don't use forks," I tell him, rolling my eyes. "It's easy, look," I move my fingers and the chopsticks follow my movements. Edward takes out his chopsticks and attempts to mimic me but he fails.

"No, it's like this," I make an attempt to touch him, to correct his fingers but he pulls away. I can't help it but feel a tad hurt. I thought he thought we were friends? Friends don't flinch from each other. Then again, daughters aren't meant to flinch from fathers.

"Just show me," Edward says.

"Hey, I wanna know how too!" Emmett whines somewhat and I laugh, I can't help it. I toss my head back and snort, my entire being shaking from the ridiculous look on Emmett's face.

Everyone's staring at me strangely but I will not lose my dignity. I don't like my laugh, quite personally I think I should snort less and maybe stop tossing my hair while I giggle like a mad woman, but Edward's staring at me strangely, his eyes darkening again.

"Right, sorry," I say. "It goes like this," I show them the way I'm holding my chopsticks. By now, Alice has picked up her chopsticks and she's egging Jasper to try it. He sighs and picks up his chopsticks, sending Rosalie a glare that tells me that if he's going down, she coming down with him.

"So then you move your index finger like this," I show them and they try to mimic, Alice succeeding, as well as Rosalie but Jasper, Edward and Emmett can't seem to get it. Jasper stares at the chopsticks while Alice tries to help him. Emmett glares at the stupid sticks as though he can stare at them and they'll work properly for him. Edward's trying in vain to make it move but it won't budge.

"Fuck it," he mutters, then throwing away one of the chopsticks, he stabs his food with his single chopstick and smiles triumphantly when it sticks right on.

I laugh softly.

"What?" He asks me. "Why are you laughing at me?"

"I'm not laughing _at_ you," I say through small fits of laughter, "I'm laughing _with_ you."

"Edward doesn't laugh," Jasper says.

"You've just never seen him laugh," Alice tells him, "you're new, remember?"

"Well have you ever seen him laugh?" Emmett asks curiously. Alice bites her lip and shakes her head. He turns to Rosalie who shakes her head but just then Edward Cullen laughs.

He laughs for the first time without abandon, like he's gotten rid of all his dignity and all his innabitions, laughing to the point where his whole face lights up. He isn't rolling on the floor but he's freely chuckling slightly louder than usual. He finishes and clears his throat, staring at the ground as though ashamed.

"Dude, you can laugh?" Emmett says, astounded.

"Told you you were good for him," Alice whispers to me.

"What did you tell her?" Edward asks, suddenly turning on Alice. Alice shakes her head but Edward begins to frown. "I don't like her like that," Edward mutters through his teeth.

"Like what?" Did they speak really softly or are they talking through mind reading? I find this funny, this silly idea of something that only exists in fantasy stories and tell Edward my theory. He doesn't laugh.

"How much did you tell her?" Jasper asks, hunched over, worriedly staring at me.

I notice none of them have eaten.

"I haven't told her anything," Edward replies.

"You know that she's right here, right?" I ask. It's strange to refer to myself in the third person. "You know that my dad's a cop, right? I could have you all arrested if you don't tell me what you won't share," I warn them all and Rosalie's eyes widen.

"You didn't tell me she was Chief Swan's daughter!" She smacks Edward upside his head. "You're so stupid!"

"You guys, just shut up," Edward says, twirling the sushi which is now on the chopstick, the food still uneaten.

"Do you have a thing for littering?" I ask him. "That's the second time you've littered today," I motion towards the chopstick on the ground. He shrugs and I've finished my food so I begin to drum the sticks on the table. Everyone looks at me strangely.

I'm humming under my breath and I find that Edward's staring at me strangely.

"It's rude to stare," I tell him.

"You sing?" He asks me instead.

"Can I hear you?" Alice asks, leaning closer towards me. "Please?"

"I can't sing," I tell them. "Really, it's better I don't," I say. "I kill trees when I sing and I think you guys like breathing, don't you?"

Emmett laughs, as does Jasper. Emmett has a strong laughter which carries out while Jasper's is more reserved. I find it interesting, the contrast between the two.

"I uh, I don't sing."

"Oh come on," Rosalie says, probably wanting to catch me doing something embarrassing. "Edward will do a duet with you."

"What?" Edward croaks, his voice sounding uncertain for the first time ever. "I think the fumes have gone to your head. Don't you remember what Carlisle said?" He sounds cautious, like this will be a horrible predicament if he sings. He can't be any worse than me.

"Well, I don't see Carlisle anywhere," I say turning around in a slow circle, then again, I've never seen their father. "He isn't here, right?" I add. Edward cracks a smile and shakes his head. "So live a little!" He snorts. "What?"

He bites his lip and I watch as his pianist fingers begin to tap on the table slowly, a rhythm I find familiar, but from where, I don't remember. Very softly, to the point where I almost can't hear him, he sings softly: "_Don't go breaking my heart."_

"1976 Edward? Really?" Alice asks, "does anyone even know those lyrics anymore?" I ignore her and smile. I love Elton John.

_"I couldn't even if I tried."_ My voice sounds horrible compared to the melodic voice he carries, somewhat fluid and sweet, bringing out the courage in me to sing. I don't like doing it often and I don't do it often at all. At this moment, I find though I sound dreadful, (I mean earsplitting, I want to be deaf dreadful) it's fun with him.

_"Honey if I get restless,"_ he pauses.

_"Baby, you're not the kind."_

Emmett begins to drum against the table, smiling as we attempt to harmonize horribly. God, I sound awful and he's so . . . musical endowed? Is that the right word? I can't even comprehend how he's gotten me to start singing but looking at his hazel eyes, I'm starting to stand and before I know it, he's walked around to me and he's pulled me to the center of the cafeteria with everyone staring at us.

_"Nobody knows it_," we both sing, me off key, him perfectly in tune.

_"But when I was down,_" he sings.

_"I was your clown."_

He gently places his hand in mine and twirls me gently, then I push back into him, not sure what we're doing but he's making me feel happy and besides, I need something to releave me of the stress that is school.

_"Don't go breaking my, don't go breaking my, don't go breaking my, don't go breaking my heart,"_ he sings as I sing along with him and we're face to face. His eyes are turning a darker color, a shade that unnerves me and I make a move to push him away-

"EDWARD ANTHONY MASEN CULLEN!"

"Shit," I hear Edward mutter.

I untangle myself from his grasp and watch as the lunch lady strides over to him. She grabs him by his wrist and he sighs, as though this is normal. "What's happening?" I ask Alice who frowns and stands next to me.

"I think you're a mixed bag," Alice says.

"What?"

"I mean, you're good for Edward but others might not see it that way," she explains and I notice that she's staring worriedly at Edward who is speaking to the lunch lady. That lady is just starting to annoy me. What's the big deal with singing? Has she never seen_ High School Musical?_

"Edward hates the seventies," Alice comments, "though he likes that song." She mutters. "Do me a favor, would you, Bella?"

I nod, confused.

"Don't break his heart." I scoff, laughing. "Seriously." She adds.

"Yeah, okay," I tell her, holding back my giggles. I walk away from her and head towards the girl's bathroom to wash my hands when I hear,

"You're becoming reckless!"

I slowly press my back against the wall and listen to a conversation which appears to be going down with the lunch lady.

"I thought you liked her!" That's Edward.

"Now you're just becoming careless! You nearly-"

"I wasn't going to," Edward insists. "I swear, I'm not hungry, I ate double last trip," he says, almost urgent, "look, I'm just trying to read her, okay? It's no big deal! Why is everyone jumping to conclusions? Besides, I think she's resistant."

"Excuse me?" The lunch lady asks.

"I think she's resistant to the hypnosis," Edward states, "I'm telling you, there's no danger. I won't hurt her. I don't want to hurt her, she's going to be fine. Mind over matter."

"It's not hypnosis Edward," the lunch lady sighs exasperatedly, "it's the siren's song, it lures people and makes them much more willing to comply and if you do that anymore around her, you're going to end up killing her! Despite what you think, it's not as simple as you seem to think! Use your head, you're the oldest, you have to know this!"

Edward's seventeen, from what I can guess. All the others are older than him by at least one year from the looks of it so how on Earth is he older?

"I . . ." He bites his lip. "Fine." He mutters. "I'll leave her alone."

For some reason, I feel a sinking in my stomach.

I think Edward's right. The fumes _are_ getting to my head.

* * *

_Author's Note #2: I said it before and I'll say it again, listen to the full song of **Don't Go Breaking My Heart **and **The Lady Loves Me,** perpherably the video for that song with Elvis. He has creepily long eyelashes too. Anyway, here's the deal: I know that Bella seems kind of rash when she starts yelling about** Romeo & Juliet**, but I think there was a good build up to it. Also, the singing is far fetched but it had to be there so I could get a nearly-bitten scene in there. As for how Edward uses the chopsticks? He can't be good at everything and besides, I do that. I try and try and then I'm just like, "Screw it," and then I stab it and smile like an idiot. I have to say, I loved the line in **Twilight** the movie: '**Jasper's the blond one who looks like he's in pain,**' I loved that description and found it accurate when I saw his face, though why he was twirling Alice in the middle of the lunchroom is beyond me but that explains Edward and Bella's behavior, I suppose. Anyway, thanks to: **Godisgood3, LunaNotLoony, satakshipari, Hannah, EricksAngeldelMusica, Konohashinobi07, Little Misses, and limissbecki.** I hope you guys realize how inflated my ego's becoming thanks to you. Think we can make it past to a total of 40 this time? Maybe up to 42? And if you can tell me why 42 is so awesome of a number, I will . . . do something for you that you will enjoy. I can't think of anything right now, but I swear I'll figure something out._


	8. Quarantine: Part Two: Black Out

_Author's Note #1: I don't own **Twilight**, but if I did, Robert Pattinson would be forced to sing in a** High School Musical-**like manner and it would be hilarious. I don't own the** Incredible Hulk** or the song **Glory of Love** by Peter Cetera which you should listen to because it's awesome and in the scene in **Twilight** with Edward weirdly brushing her hair while she's asleep, I think of the song. The whole song is just really sweet and I find it funny because of the line:** "We'll live forever,"** and I also don't own the story of the three little pigs, but I don't know who created that in the first place. I have placed numbers to explain certain things further on in this story and long explanations will be at the end and thanks as usual. I love how I woke up and had five new reviews in less than twelve hours. Keep it up and read the long review at the end too! Or don't. It's fine. Don't spare my feelings._

* * *

_7. QUARANTINE_

_PART TWO: BLACK OUT_

* * *

"ALICE! WAIT UP!"

For a short girl with short legs, she walks like the freaking wind! It's like she's suddenly got super feet that propel her down the hallway faster than humanly possible and when I call out to her, she doesn't even flinch or show any sign of hearing me.

"ALICE!"

She turns around finally and stops, waiting for me to catch up to her. I'm not the fastest runner in the world, sue me. "Look, I was wondering if I could talk to you about Edward." I pant, trying not to fall over from exhaustion.

"Uh, sure, what about him?" she asks me.

"It's about his medical history, if you could tell me anything about it, any family with cancer, leukemia, cranium dysfunction, being used as human test subjects, anything like that which involves his genetic code, if you could?"

"Uh, I wouldn't know," Alice tells me, "Carlisle would probably be the best to ask," I find it funny that they won't call their father Dad, or Father or anything of that sort. They call him Carlisle and that's where it starts and ends. I only got Edward to tell me once that Carlisle was his father, if not, I would think he was a random person they all knew very well. (1)

"I'm asking _you_, Alice," I say.

"Why do you want to know?" she asks.

"I . . ." I'm not sure how to ask this. "I saw his DNA. Under a microscope." I begin but she begins pacing, running a hand through her hair, though since it's so short, it's sort of hard.

"Oh G-" she chokes, "Darn it," she mutters. "I didn't think he would be that trusting-"

"He didn't give it to me," I tell her quickly, "I uh, I sort of took it from him. Either way, I saw it," I say, "And it's not exactly . . . normal, if you understand what I mean."

"What do you know?" she asks, her voice full of distress.

"Nothing," I tell her. "I mean, I know that Edward seems to be the Incredible Hulk-"

"Huh?"

"Did everyone live under a rock?" I wonder aloud, but I decide not to answer her question and continue, "I don't know why he's like that, or what he is or if he got into an accident or fell into a vad of toxic waste or if he was dropped on his head when he was a baby or if-"

"Toxic waste?"

"Never mind, it's just . . . I've come to care for Edward, somewhat and I want to know what makes him so paranoid. He's so . . . guarded." I feel like a hypocrite. I'm also guarded. Possibly more than him.

Something tells me I'm more paranoid than him, but he has more of a reason to be.

"Uh," Alice bites her lip and I think she wants to tell me, but she won't. I like to think I've gotten to know the Cullens to predict some of the things they do. I smile at her anyway, knowing she won't tell me what I want to know.

Maybe I can sweet talk her. "I really care about him, I mean, yes, he's bipolar as hell and he's a shit dancer," I add, thinking of the pain my feet went through, then again, he probably went through more of it, "and he's pretty bad with making good conversation, but I've come to appreciate him in some right," I shrug pointlessly, "I mean, you'd help me out, wouldn't you? With the whole thing?"

"I-"

_"I am a man who will fight for your honor_

_"I'll be the hero that you'll be dreaming of_

_"We'll live forever, knowing together_

_"That we did it all for the glory of love."_

"Excuse me," I say, disappointed my stupid phone rang. I open my flip phone and find that Jacob's calling. "Hey, what's up?" I ask, trying not to sound aggravated that Alice was probably about to crack.

"I was supposed to pick you up like half an hour ago but I'm being held off campus, what's going on?" He sounds worried so I decide to ease his mind.

"Nothing, it's mainly my fault, I got a detention for trying to ignore someone who was passing notes to me so Edward decided to help me out and-"

"Edward? What happened to PMS?" Jacob cuts in and I would almost call him jealous except he's Jacob.

"Oh, he's still PMS," I eye him leaning against a locker a few feet away, talking to Emmett, much less stressed than he was a few minutes ago, "trust me, he will forever be PMS, but anyway, he set off a stink bomb to help me get out of detention and stupid Jessica Stanley decided that she needed to call the cops because it was toxic, so we're on quarantine."

"Can't quarantine only last up to forty-eight hours or something?" he asks.

"Yeah," I respond, "but we're stuck in here until further notice," I sigh, "look, when we get out, I'll call you if it's a reasonable time and I can tell you all about how weird the lunch lady is." I decide to throw him a bone. Our relationship's pretty strange, the guy who picks me up and drops me off and doesn't really talk to me otherwise but I get occasional favors from, the least I can do is tell him about my day considering I'm always getting into trouble.

"Like a date?"

"What?" I ask. I did not hear him right, did I?

"Never mind," he tells me. "So call me when you're out, kay?"

"Yeah," I hang up.

"Is he-"

"If you say boyfriend, I'm going to strangle you," I warn Alice before she can finish her sentence. I'm pretty fed up of sounding like a broken record. "Anyway, where were we?"

"You were asking me about Edward's medical history," she says. "Uh, he got a bad case of the flew a couple of years ago," she says, "uh, he was tired, had a high fever, the flu, coughing nearly tore his abdominal muscles, he turned blue at one point," she shrugs, "then he got better though, much better," she's smiling, as though there's some secret behind it.

"What was the flu?" I ask. I don't recognize this symptoms for anything recent or even from five years ago. What did he have?

"Uh,-"

"Alice," I hear and I turn, (strange how it isn't my name yet I decide to answer anyway) and see Jasper running towards us. "Rosalie got a little mad and we might have a little-"

_CRACK_!

"Power outage," he mutters, the lights in the hallway burnout and when I check my laptop quickly, I have no Internet. Damn it. "It should flicker occasionally, maybe you'd get ten minutes max at a time. Look, can you help me cool her down?"

"Sure," Alice says, "I've got to go," she tells me, "Sorry."

I nod and quickly take out a pen, writing quickly.

_High fever, harm to abdominal muscle when coughing, blue face, fatigue._ The symptoms. I bet with Google, I can figure out what he had. Could that have done any damage to his DNA?

I walk over to Edward who's staring at the ceiling, confused about the power out. I lean against the window across from him and offer a small smile. "Hey."

"What happened?" He asks, pointing to the lights.

"Power outage," I answer. "So uh, you said you don't sing, What was with that whole thing in the cafeteria?" I ask shyly.

"Uh, that," he rubs his neck. "Don't know, peer pressure's a pain and you guys wouldn't shut up."

"You're good," I note.

"Thanks, you're not bad yourself."

"I sound like a dying cat on crack, (2)" I tell him, raising my eyebrow. He's lying.

"Yeah, but you're an adorable cat on crack," he says, smirking. "I mean, well, cats are cute, right?" He looks like he's scared he's crossed an invisible line.

"What makes them so invisible line worthy?"

"Did you just call me adorable?" I ask, cocking my head to the side slightly confused.

"Yes. No. Maybe." He considers this for a moment. "Can we just forget the last five seconds happened?" he asks sheepishly.

"What are we even talking about?" I ask him, smiling.

He gives me a lopsided grin.

The lights start to flicker. He rubs his eyes. "You know, this is really mean for anyone who has epilepsy," I note randomly and he stares at me like I've dropped out of space. "I mean, think of the amount of seizures that could be happening around the school."

"You're weird." he tells me, but he's smiling.

"But I'm also adorable."

"I thought we forgot about that," he tells me, almost whining but I don't think Edward Cullen can whine.

"We did," I say.

"So why did you just bring it up?"

"Bring what up?"

"The whole thing about-" he stops. "Clever," he mutters.

"One of my many talents," I tell him, shrugging hopelessly. I laugh and so does he when I realize the power's back. I take my computer out of my bag quickly and slide to the floor, opening it. I type up the symptoms and watch as the loading bar loads slowly.

Damn this old computer.

"What are you doing?" Edward asks, leaning over my shoulder, a smile still on his face. I can see his reflection in the bright screen and suddenly, his face becomes grave. See? PMS. Never disappoints.

"Where'd you get that information?" he asks.

"Alice just told me about this flu you got and I was wondering what it was," I answer when he grabs the computer out of my hands, his cold fingers brushing my skin, making me feel icy and empty. He shuts the laptop and his eyes darken.

He puts it on the floor behind him and backs me against the locker. "You should keep your nose out of things that aren't your business," he tells me, his voice husky and quite frankly, I'm scared.

**"You're scaring me."**

He backs up, a look of surprise and uncomfortableness on his face. "**Good**," he mutters. "**Good**." He paces, running a hand through his hair. He seems troubled. I bet if he was a normal person, he'd be biting his nails too, but PMS is anything but normal.

_CRACK_!

The power's out again.

It's a good thing it's light out still so we should be good, though the many clouds are somewhat annoying. I still want to see the bright sun. It's been forever since it's been out and I would call this seasonal depression. "I uh . . ." I don't know what to say. I'm not sure what he wants from me.

**"If you were smart, you'd stay away from me,"** he tells me, but he isn't leaving.

"If you were smart," I say, "you would know I'm far too curious to leave you alone."

He sighs. "I know that," he mutters, "How can you be so smart yet so dumb?"

"EDWARD!"

Edward walks away from me towards the lunch lady, his posture somewhat tense as he closes in closer towards her. I can hear the words: "Everything Carlisle's done for us," and "this is not keeping away."

"It doesn't go there, idiot!"

I turn the corner and hears voices from the boiler room. I open the door and find Alice, Jasper and Emmett inside, all staring at the many wires and the switches. They clearly don't know what they're supposed to do. That could be the reason the lights keep flickering.

I find that the wires were pulled out of the fuse box, they're knotted and tangled and I don't know which wire goes where because they're also pulled out of the wall. God, this school has too many electrical appliances. The computer lab is probably the main reason we've got so many wires.

"Where's Rosalie?"

They all jump and I hear Jasper begin to swear under his breath.

"Bella," Alice says, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

"I just heard noises," I reply, "and I figured it they weren't from my head considering I highly doubted Jasper's inside my cranium," I tell her.

"Oh," Emmett says, glaring at Jasper.

"Maybe I can help?" I offer.

"No," Jasper says immediately but Alice frowns and hits him but he doesn't even flinch. "No, we're not letting her in here, it's too crowded for one thing and she's the reason we're in this mess."

"I thought Rosalie got mad?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.

"She did," Alice says. "Look, Jasper, just let her help-"

"No," Jasper snaps.

"Jasper-"

"Are you deaf Alice? No." Jasper says. "That's final."

_"That is final."_

I shiver. I can't help it. I know that Jasper probably means well, this is his family after all, yet I can't help thinking that he's an outsider at the same time, like he's the new kid in the group.

"If this is about Edward-" Emmett begins.

"It's not," Jasper says through gritted teeth. "Not entirely at least," he mutters. "Look, can't you accept it? I can't get into your diet, I don't understand how you live on it and being in a crammed space with her?" He nods towards me as though I'm not here. "It's a bad idea and Edward would kill me. _Solidly_ kill me."

"He doesn't like her like that," Emmett tells him.

"Please," Jasper scoffs, "Edward's way in over his head and she's the cop's daughter," he snorts, "We're all going to be doomed the second she figures it out, she isn't dumb." Though it's not an insult and it's somewhat like a compliment, it sounds like an insult. "Edward doesn't know what's happening to him, I do. It won't end well."

"How could you possibly know?" Emmett asks and I feel like they've actually forgotten that I'm here.

"I just do," Jasper mutters. He looks at Alice briefly, then returns to staring at the wires. "Look, let's just get this over with and lock the door so Rosalie can't get back in."

"I want to help," I tell him.

"You're just pissing me off," Jasper mutters. At least he's honest. Everyone should teach Edward how to be more open cause he's really pissing me off as well with his mood swings. "Asking me over and over again is not going to get me to accept your help."

"I know a little about this sort of thing," I tell him. "It doesn't matter what you do, it's mainly trial and error, you can't just fix it in the blink of an eye."

He sighs when suddenly, he looks panicked and for the first time, I realize none of them were breathing through this entire conversation. How do they do that? How do you talk though you aren't breathing? (3) "Are you okay?" I ask, putting out a hand but Jasper flinches away.

"Let her help," Emmett says, "she won't leave otherwise and besides, if she can make Edward laugh, I bet she's fine."

I nod and Jasper sighs, making room for me.

"Okay, so here's the red wire and we'd probably want to attach it to another red wire, then stick it in the fuse box." I tell them. Taking a red wire, I stick it into another one and press it against into the box.

I wait.

Nothing happens.

"Well, we try again-"

"It's freezing in here!" (4)

I rub my arms and realize I'm cold. Maybe the vents have turned on? Jasper, Emmett and Alice don't flinch. Strange. I pull out the wire. "Okay, wrong input."

"Why aren't there labels on this thing?" Emmett complains, staring at the many switches. "I mean, this is ridiculous."

"Because everyone thinks this is easy so we'd be idiots to not know how it works, course they never planned on having a Hale rip out the wires and bust the system," I mutter under my breath.

We keep at it until I hear a knock on the door.

I open the door a crack to see Rosalie and smirk. "What's the password?"

"Password?" I hear her and Jasper say at the same time.

"There's a password?" Jasper asks me.

I roll my eyes. "Duh, there's a password, all cool clubs have one," I tell Rosalie and Jasper. "It's easy, get the password right and you can get in, get it wrong and you leave us alone."

"What? You make no sense," she mutters.

"Three tries," I tell her. Damn, now I need to think of a password. Oh! I've got it!

"Uh . . . password?"

"As a password?" I ask. "How dumb do you think we are?"

"Very," she mutters, but I can still hear her. "Uh, I don't know-"

"Why are you talking to a door?"

It's Edward. Huh, I've created a line up in front of the boiler room. I wonder if I should feel proud of myself.

"Your stupid girlfriend won't let me in!"

"I'm not his girlfriend!"

"She's not my girlfriend!"

"Whatever," and I get the feeling Rosalie's rolling her eyes. I can't really see past the door. It would be really cool to have a little slot box thing that could let me look out at the people who are outside. I should ask the principal about that.

Edward knocks on the door.

He actually knocks. I didn't know people still did that anymore. "Yes?" I ask.

**"Let us in."**

**"Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin!**" I tell him, laughing. Emmett and Jasper look confused while Alice smiles at my immaturity. It's about time someone appreciated it.

"You have hair on your chin?" Rosalie asks and I want to kick her and tell her it was a reference which I doubt she got, but I can't because stupid doors keep getting in the way.

"You're telling me you _like_ this girl?" she asks Edward in disbelief.

"I don't like her damn it!" Edward snarls. "Look, Bella, do us a favor and please open up."

I hear Rosalie gasp and Alice looks confused. Emmett smirks and Jasper seems to sigh. "Did you just say please?" Rosalie asks. "You don't have manners!"

"Open up," Edward calls again, probably ignoring her like I would. Okay, I probably would've hit her too, but either's good. Though seeing her on the floor, writhing in pain would be fun, it's second best. If the door didn't get in the way of my watching PMS ignore her.

"Not in your lifetime bucko," I tease.

"Bella, open this door!"

"What's the password?" I taunt.

"Again with this password shit?" Rosalie demands. "I don't care, I'll break down this door if you don't open it up!" she says.

"That's damage to school property," Edward reminds her.

"So? Carlisle can pay the bill," she answers.

"Edward, Rosalie, what are you doing outside the boiler room?" It's that creepy lunch lady.

"Edward's girlfriend won't let us in," Rosalie complains. I'm not his girlfriend. How come everyone thinks I'm dating someone falsely? Is my voice just mute to everyone?

"Edward, I told you to stay away from her," the interfering lunch lady who needs to get a life that doesn't involve meddling with those who eat her food's business says.

"Esme, how much money does it cost to fix a broken door?" Rosalie asks suddenly and I back away from the door.

"Is she really going to break down the door?" I ask Emmett.

"If she's pissed enough," Alice responds.

"And she's definitely pissed enough," Jasper supplies. He sighs and goes to the door. "Rosalie, calm down," he tells her, his voice sounds soothing and calming and I'm taken over by a sense of comfort. "There's no need to panic, just breathe."

Immediately though, I snicker. This strange sense of comfort has gone away and now I'm perfectly normal again. I don't know why he's still talking in that soft voice, but I know that I find this situation to be very funny.

There are four of us on one side of the door and three on the other. There's a power out and we can't seem to fix it and I won't let them in because they need to have the password. I suppose you could call me mean or evil or something like that, but I need amusement considering I haven't got my computer.

I can hear Rosalie breathing deeply, trying to calm down.

"Not cool Jasper," Edward tells him and I'm confused. If Rosalie's calm, why isn't that good?

"I've got it!" Alice says suddenly. She starts to pat down Jasper and I wonder if they're going to do it in the boiler room, Jessica did say they were a private thing, sort of, but Jasper takes out a pencil and paper and Alice begins to draw quickly, but with her eyes closed yet the drawing is perfect.

It's wires. They're everywhere and when she's finally done, the pencil cracks. I'm not sure how that's useful to us when she yells at Jasper to get her a sharpener or another pencil. He takes one out of his back pocket and she starts to label the wires, _red, green, blue, yellow, white, black._

When she's finally done, she's breathing hard like she's done something so intense rather than doodling a picture.

"Great," I tell her, "now how does that help us?"

"LET US IN!" Rosalie screams, pounding on the door. I think I see the frame beginning to cave a little but Rosalie does not look like the strong type.

I continue to smirk and say: "Password?"

"Why are teenagers these days to annoying?" I hear the lunch lady say. I think Rosalie called her something . . . Esme? Pretty name for a pretty face. How does she know Edward so well though?

"Got it!"

The lights begin to flicker for a moment and then they go out.

"It was a nice try," I hear Jasper say and for once, he sounds comforting to Alice who sighs. We're in total pitch blackness now because the sun's gone down from what I can tell as no light's coming from the crack under the door. There was a crack under the door I could have used to see what was going on!

"Has anyone got a flashlight?" Emmett asks.

"I've got matches," Alice supplies and I wonder why she carries them around.

"Great," Emmett says, as though this won't cause a possible fire. She takes them out, I think from the sound of shuffling and then there's light. "Hey Eddie," he says to which I can hear Edward's displeasure, "get a flashlight, would you?"

I hear him mutter: "Don't call me that," and then he leaves.

Emmett puts the stick in his mouth and starts to fiddle with the wires. Alice looks worried as he does that, as though this will cause a problem besides possibly lighting him on fire from the look in her eyes and the way she's biting her nails, I feel like Emmett's death isn't what's making her tense.

As Emmett stares at the wires, I realize that I can only hear my own breathing. Emmett's not breathing, neither is Jasper or Alice. I don't hear anything from the other side either. He takes the match out of his mouth and turns to Alice.

"See, we accidentally put a black where there's supposed to be a blue," he tells her, "easy mistake to make considering your horrible handwriting," he shrugs and takes out the black wire and is about to replace it with a blue when he accidentally drops the match.

_"SHIT!"_

I jump up and stare at the fire in amazement. It's on the small floor that's there for us to crouch on so I press my back against the door while Emmett and Jasper press against the walls and Alice takes a tiny step back. I realize that this cupboard is not the greatest place for four people to stay, especially considering Emmett's rather large.

"What happened?" I hear from the other side of the door. It's the lunch lady whose name may or may not be Esme. "Emmett?" Wait, she knows Emmett too?

"You guys?" That's Rosalie. There's silence then Rosalie seems to realize that smoke's coming from beneath the room. "Shit," she mutters. "Alright, uh, where's the fire extinguisher? Where's Edward?"

Edward seems to conveniently pop up. Not because of his footsteps, but because of his flashlight casting a glow on the floor. "Holy shit," he mutters, "what the hell happened?"

"Get the fire extinguisher!" Rosalie says.

"Bella, I need you to open the door," Esme says and I'm really confused. SHe knows my name too? God, this is so weird! My hand creeps to the door and I open it, falling into the hall. Alice, Jasper and Emmett rush out. It's dark and the only light I can see is from the fire when in a split second, Edward's back and he's holding a fire extinguisher.

"How do these damn things work?" He demands, playing with the nozzle.

"Here," I tell him but he still flinches away from me. He pulls at the top until the cover comes flying off somewhere and the white foam comes pouring out. He practically showers the fire with it and I watch as he shakes it as though this will thoroughly put out the fire. I notice that the top of the fire extinguisher was thrown aside and that the nozzle and some of the metal itself of the fire extinguisher is on the floor.

Edward managed to break it. (5)

The fire is out and Edward throws aside the extinguisher, panting. He wipes his brow and he throws me a flashlight. He crouches down and stares at the foam covered room which probably has even more screwed up wiring now that this incident's happened. He stare at the place where the fire had been and picks at it. He throws something to Alice. "That's yours, isn't it?"

Alice mutters a yes. "Great, now can you tell me why you had matches?" Edward asks her. "And Rosalie," he turns to her, "why on Earth you were in the boiler room in the first place?"

"I-"

"Edward, why don't you tell me why you weren't staying away from her like you told me you would?" Esme demands, putting her hands on her hips and I feel like she's a mother scorning her child.

"I-"

"GOT IT!"

This time, the lights flicker back on, the power back for good. Emmett's inside the boiler room with a triumphant smile on his face, happy he fixed the problem. I'm sure tons of girls will crowd him, thankful they can now use their phones to do whatever the hell they want.

I realize that now I can use my e-mail. I rush to my laptop but Edward grabs it before I can get to it and holds it above his head. "This is childish, don't you think?" I ask him.

"Not in the least," he answers. "Alice, we're going to have a talk about my medical history," Edward adds, giving her a look.

"You're going to have to let go eventually, you can't hold it forever," I tell him.

He snorts.

"You always find what I say funny and I don't understand," I say, annoyed. "You are so bipolar!" I snap but he smirks. "By the way," I tell Rosalie, "PMS."

"What?"

"The password," I inform her, smirking.

"Edward, Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper, Alice, Esme."

A new voice I've never heard before says in a calming tone. I turn to see a blond man smiling at the group of six. He eyes me curiously but walks over to us regardless.

We look funny, I know.

Emmett has a stupid smile on his face with ash on his clothes, Alice and Jasper both have some foam on them as they were close when Edward was doing his dumping of the foam, Rosalie looks frantic and Esme the lunch lady looks like she's ready to burst. Edward is leaning against the large window, my laptop in his hand, smirking down at me as I jump to try and get it. How tall is this boy?

"The area's been cleared," the man says. Who is he? "I've told the others and went looking for you, but I couldn't find you bunch," he smiles, "what happened here?"

"Power out." Jasper says.

"Alice brought matches." Rosalie accuses.

"I saved the day," Emmett boasts.

"I don't have good handwriting," Alice grumbles, almost upset.

"Edward is being reckless," Esme says.

"We didn't burn to death," Edward supplies.

"I'm confused," I admit.

All of this information is sent to this man in one blow yet he calmly looks at us and smiles. "Jasper, I can see there was a power outage when I came in. Alice, you shouldn't carry around matches, what will others think? And your handwriting is beautiful. Esme, Edward is his own being, he can choose to do whatever he wishes. Edward, I can see that you're alive. Isabella," he guesses, "the best of us get confused at times."

"**Bella**," Edward says immediately, correcting him.

"Who are you?" I ask.

"**I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself properly,**" he flashes me a blinding smile. **"My name is Carlisle Cullen**," he nods towards Esme, **"And this is my wife, Esme."**

"You're a doctor but you're married to a lunch lady?" I can't help asking.

"I have other jobs," Esme says, smiling at Carlisle and you can see the love in their eyes. I want to gag.

"Come on, we're going home." Carlisle tells them.

Edward sighs and lets go of my laptop which I race to catch and he begins to walk away. The power's back so my page finishes loading and I see the answer to my question.

The symptoms he was showing were for spanish influenza. But that epidemic was in 1918.

I watch as the Cullens retreat.

Now I _have_ to find out what their secret is.

* * *

_Author's Note #2: So to explain the numbers:_

_(1) Am I the only one who notices that Edward never calls Carlisle Dad? No one calls Carlisle Dad. Ever. At all. I mean, it's not by blood, but still, wouldn't you call your parent Dad or Mom?_

_(2) She sounds like a dying cat on crack because I think that's what she would actually sound like should she sing and I sound like a dying cat on crack when I sing so there!_

_(3) I remember that it's said that Edward and the rest of the vampires don't exactly need to breathe so this is the second time they've stopped breathing. I know it's hard to talk and not breathe but for the stories sake, let's say that Jasper, Emmett and Alice defy logic, but they do that anyway._

_(4) I stole the wrong input thing from a TV show._

_(5) Imagine the fire extinguisher to look like it does in the movie **Sky High** when Will tears it off the wall and takes out the fire. If you can because I feel my description was suckish. (If you're childish enough to watch it. I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it, just I'm immature and I love this sort of stuff, **Sky High,** I still watch **Ben 10** and I'm well into my teens.)_

_Alright, lines were stolen from the book and from the movie. I made Carlisle say what Edward said somewhat and combined it with what he said in the movie during the epic baseball scene. (I can admit vampire baseball is awesome. Don't worry, there will be a baseball scene!) Now the whole fire thing? I wanted to put it in because a) I don't like short chapters, b) because it would be cool and c) cause I wanted to. Emmett was going to be using a flashlight and put that in his mouth but I decided Emmett's manly enough to take it. Also, the vision was so they could hurry things up. The ringtone was cause I thought it represented Bella and Edward nicely as I listen to it on repeat right now. _

_Okay, another thing you should know: Bella seems annoying and bipolar in this chapter, I know, but I'm sorry, it kinda had to be that way. I'm trying to set her apart from a non-feeling empty shell. If you don't like **Twilight** or you like **Twilight** and you don't get offended or defensive about the series, read the **Oatmeal's** blog about **Why Twilight Works**. It's funny, and it's true. I know this is long, I'm wrapping it up quickly: thanks to _

_**AnnaCromwell**: thank you for getting my** Harry Potter** reference, perhaps read my James & Lily stories? **Harry Potter** is awesome!_

_**lilmissbecki**: hope this answers your question_

_**LuaNotLoony**: THANK YOU FOR UNDERSTANDING THAT REFERENCE! **HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY** ROCKS!_

_**satakshipari**: you've gotta wait for the part where Edward's a complete sap and admits all his lovey dovey feelings which I will make interesting, that's for sure_

_**ONCE a boy UPON meets A gir**l: clever name and I also think that Edward and Bella's relationship wasn't ever developed enough so I'm making this more realistic and helping them become closer and I had to write your name like this cause Fanfic is stupid and won't let me write it correctly._

_ **Haquikah:** I love quarantine!_

_** Harmony:** thank you for liking this, for liking **Twilight** and the way you accept my strange humor_

_** jlove34**: I made Edward swear a lot before though_

_ Okay, now I've bored you but I have one last question (LIES! I have more than one!)_

_Would you like more of the numbers to tell you what's going on and give more context thing or should I just not bother with that?_

_And **LunaNotLoony**, PM me and we'll discuss what I'll do for you getting that reference. And also tell me whether or not I should give you really long answers to your reviews. Or if I should just PM you. Or if I should just shut up._

_Do you like this way of answering with you name then my response to your review?_

_Can we aim for 45 reviews? Or maybe 50 if we're daring? I won't update till I get at least 47 though. I decided to give in this time because I love this chapter very much._


	9. Epidemics Are Problematic

_Author Note #1: So I don't own __**Twilight**__, I have a large amount of reviews which I am happy about so those thank yous will be at the end as usual. I had a bit of a problem with writing a scene in here you will find out about at the end of this chapter where I will tell you. I'm thinking, if I'm lucky, we can get up to 70 reviews total by the time I put up chapter 9? No updating though until we get to 60, maybe 66 to humor me? I know, I have a weird thing with numbers. I don't own __**The Incredible Hulk, Superman, High School Musical, Pride & Prejudice**__ either, but I think the copyright is done by now, considering it was published 201 years ago. Just to be safe. The words from the books or films are bolded as usual; I will continue this numbering thing until someone tells me it's a bad idea. Hope you enjoy chapter 8! Sadly, I also don't own__** Harry Potter. **__Or the __**Smurfs. **__Or__** Roadrunner. **__I should stop making so many references._

* * *

_8. EPIDEMICS ARE PROBLEMATIC_

* * *

"I WANT ANSWERS."

"Good morning to you too," Edward says, smirking. "I'm fine thanks Bella, and you?" He smiles wider the more I glare. "And how is Emmett this morning? Why, he's fine, thank you for thinking of him. Jasper had bacon for breakfast today and we all frowned but it's okay and Alice? She's good. She hasn't drawn any more wires as of late and Rosalie's still a bitch, so all is well. And you? How is the asshole today?"

"You are not talking your way out of this," I tell him through gritted teeth. "You may have gotten me out of detention and put us on quarantine for nearly a full day, but I've had time to reflect and I have come to the conclusion that unless you tell me exactly what is going on, I'm just going to believe my theories."

"And your theories are?"

"Not telling you, but expect them to be the worst," I tell him, folding my arms across my chest.

"Okay then," he says, confused. Good, let him be. He's a right pain in the ass. "So uh, when do I come over for the project?"

"Thursday, are you deaf?" I demand, turning away from him.

"No," he answers and I don't think he understands what a rhetorical question is. "So uh, I was wondering . . ." He pauses as though to think his question through very carefully. "If you would be against . . ." I risk a glance and see him playing with his fingers, rubbing his neck, running a hand through his hair, swinging his legs like he's on a spinning chair while his fingers tap on the desk, he seems torn on which action to do and he's not looking at me at all. "If you would be against sitting with me-my family during lunch?"

I stare at him, confused. "Did you just ask me to have lunch with you?"

"And my family," he adds hastily. "No littering, no PMS. At least, I'll try." Damn it, Alice told him, didn't she?

"Well . . . yes," I answer. Maybe I can interrogate him in front of his family or someone in that group will be willing to give me answers. His face drops and I'm confused. I just agreed, didn't I?

Wait, he said: "Would you be against". That's weird. Answering with a negative is usually a rejection, but he wants to get a negative answer? That's weird wording for ya. "I mean, no," he smiles at me crookedly and I have to say, this is one of my favorite expressions he can possibly wear.

"Great," he tells me.

"Are you going to have a fight with the lunch lady?" I ask.

"No," he answers.

"Are there anymore of your family members hiding in this school that I'm unaware of?" I ask curiously.

"Hiding?"

"Your mother's a lunch lady."

"You say that like that's a bad thing," he says, shrugging. "And uh, no, no one of my family are here." I get the feeling he's lying though, but not exactly. Like he's omitting some information, but he isn't lying. I hate when people do that.

"Can I look forward to anymore fires? Or stabbing food? Or _High School Musical_ moments?" He raises an eyebrow at this. Does no one understand modern culture? "No more singing," I explain.

"Oh, I don't plan on singing for a long time," he answers. "So uh, how was your weekend?"

"Good," I reply. "I e-mailed my mother to apologize for the e-mail that was accidentally sent to her and told her that my innocence is still in tact."

"Oh shit, that thing was sent?" Edward says, looking alarmed.

"Yeah, but I fixed the whole thing."

Course, my mom threw a fit and wanted to meet this person and ask him if he used protection. Luckily, Charlie didn't find out about that little incident.

"That's good. Uh, my family and I spent some time outdoors," he says. I feel like he's trying to give me information about himself because I've given him some about me, but he's trying not to reveal anything. "Went camping, good weather and all," he adds. "Uh, Emmett saw a bear-"

"Spanish influenza," I say before I can stop myself. He looks at me strangely with bright hazel eyes. They really need to stop changing color so often. "You had the Spanish flu," I take a deep breath, "and that was in 1918, the epidemic, that is. Nothing like that's ever hit us before since, well, there was the H1N1, but that was a few years ago," I add. I laugh with no humor in my voice. "You were sick with a flu from the early 1900s. How'd you get it?"

"I-" Edward looks at his feet. "Spanish influenza was just in 1918 till 1920, but the H1N1 came back around in 2009," he says, "I got it around then."

I nod, but I don't believe him. "How are your abdominal muscles?"

"Excuse me?" He sounds shocked, understandable considering it sounds like I just asked him how his abs are.

"I was just wondering if you have any torn tissue."

"No," he says, looking at me strangely.

"Class, we're about to begin!" Mr. Banner tells us and he hands us out slides for this project. I think we've been using the microscopes too much, but I still have PMS's DNA on a slide in my desk drawer at Charlie's house and I look at it once a week at least to see if I can find anything similar. It's strange and Edward is still scaring me.

I look at my lab partner as he slides a small piece of glass under the scope and puts his eye against the lens. His skin is so pale, it still shocks me and he holds himself differently. He has perfect posture and speaks in ways I don't understand. He knows perfect writing skills yet can't understand what texting is.

Who is he? More importantly, _what_ is he?

When the bell rings, I'm staring at my drawing again, the man with the dark eyes, the rounded face and his curled lip. The small line is driving me insane; looking so much like a fang, it unnerves me.

"Come on Bella," Edward says and I look up from my drawing. He nods towards the exit and in that moment, I can imagine Edward being the man in this picture.

I shake myself and stand up.

We walk down the hall together and I can hear everyone's horrible attempts at whispering. Jessica runs up to us and I want to snap her neck. I won't, mainly because I don't want to give Edward a reason to run like hell's chasing him before I can interrogate him.

"Hey Bella, you're sitting with us, right?" Jessica asks.

"Actually-"

"She's sitting with us," Edward cuts me off, "If that isn't too much trouble with you?" Edward smiles at her and she freezes in place, looking star struck. I'm confused as to how he does that and why he does that. It's like he wants others to comply to his every need.

"Oh, that's fine," she says, smiling, **"That's totally fine."** She looks between us and smiles, winking not so subtly. She then runs off.

"She's weird," Edward mutters when he sits down at the table with his family.

"You're talking to the airhead now too?" Rosalie demands the second Edward sits down.

"Airhead?" I ask, "That's being polite." Emmett snorts. "Uh, are you _sure_ I can sit here?" I ask, looking at the rather crowded table. It's strange, to me. To sit with the Cullens and Hales is like putting yourself on a platter to have the entire world stare at you like you're an animal in a zoo.

"No," Rosalie snaps.

Jasper looks at me and cracks a small smile. "Let her sit."

We're all surprised to say the least. Jasper simply smiles more. "Why not?"

"Dude," Edward says in a hushed voice, "You had bacon this morning."

"Exactly why this is safe," Jasper answers, "And besides, if you're gonna be all Mr. Darcy on her, I may as well get used to her. She's not that bad," he shrugs. "Come on and take a seat Bella."

"Mr. Darcy wrote long letters and acted like a bastard for the majority of that book," Edward says and I'm surprised he's read it though he does strike me as a reader, just not that kind of reader. "Not to mention he lost all his pride-"

"Yes, well, you write long poetry, act like a bipolar jerk the majority of the time and you're losing all your sanity, I see a very close resemblance," Jasper says, smirking as Edward silently fumes but I can see that the wound that was there has been healed, if not slightly stitched up.

I take a seat next to Alice and Emmett who smile at me while Rosalie sits across from me, glaring still.

"So you guys went camping this weekend?" I ask.

"Yeah," Emmett says. "By the way, if you're still up for it, I've got a tank full of gas and the perfect excuse; black ice."

"When's the earliest?"

Emmett smirks. "I think she's got a new favorite Eddie-"

Edward shoves him off his seat. "Shut up," he hisses.

"Why don't you eat?" I ask them, staring at their full trays. "That's wasting food, there are starving kids in Africa," I tell them. "Come on," I pick up a fork and stab it with some salad. "Open up," I tell Edward who stares at me strangely. I wave the fork in his face, "I'm not going to stop until you eat." I raise an eyebrow. "It's not going to kill you."

He sighs and allows me to place the food in his mouth but immediately, he falls over, clutching his neck. "ACK!" he screams, having a spasm on the floor.

"Get up," I tell him, "You're not fooling anyone."

He sighs and sits up properly. "Fine," he mutters. "But that was painful." He glares at me but it's playful. "Uh, I remember you liked my poetry so I wanted to show you," he slides a notebook over to me and I stare at his beautiful handwriting.

_Darkness overtakes the skies_

_When the sun goes to sleep and hides_

_There is no fear_

_No rhyme or reason_

_Just the moon and the stars_

_And I as I walk amongst the creatures of the night_

_Under the bright moonlight_

_Midnight strikes and the clock chimes dull_

_The world for once the world stands still_

_The Witching Hour is upon us_

_Yet I fear nothing in this darkness_

_It is my cloak, my shield from reality_

_It is where I toe the line of fantasy_

_Where I flirt with the moon_

_And I laugh in the face of my doom_

_For I am doomed already_

_A creature of the night_

_Where I am free without light_

_And where I roam_

_A creature of the night_

_This is my land to control_

_In this dark endless abyss_

_I must stay_

_For I cannot risk_

_The dawn of another day_

_Where the stars are my guide_

_And the crickets are my friends_

_In the dark is where I stand_

_This lightless home_

_Sets fire to my soul_

_For I have no where to go_

_As a creature of the night_

_I roam_

"Edward," Jasper says, reading upside down from what I can guess, "This is so stupid, you really ought to stop writing stupid poetry-"

"It's beautiful," I say, defending him. "I mean the words are perfect. _Creature of the Night,_ is that what it's called?"

"You could be less obvious," Jasper sighs and I'm confused. It seems that's all I am around the Cullens and Hales. "Whatever," he shrugs, "not my fault when we all go to our demise because you couldn't keep your mouth shut from your girlfriend."

"I'm not his girlfriend!" First with Jacob, now with Edward. I should just get rid of boys forever; they only cause problems.

"Uh huh," Emmett says and I kick him down just after he got back up. "Man woman, you hit _hard_!"

"Thank you," I smile.

The rest of lunch is Edward and I defend ourselves of remarks such as: "You two are secretly dating, aren't you?" and I ignore Rosalie's glares and Jasper's slightly tense posture, but I think I'm growing on him. With lunch done, I head over to English class, trying to evade Mike Newton and Jessica the entire time.

When I enter class, I take a seat in the back and realize that I promised Jacob a time to talk over what happened during my time on quarantine. Shit. He might kill me. Unless he thinks I accidentally forgot, but he sounded like he wanted to talk about it. I'd better set up a meeting with him after school.

Once I'm let out, I head underneath a tree, taking out my phone. Phones are discouraged around school. I dial Jacob's number. "Hey, Jacob, I totally forgot that I promised you an explanation," I say.

"That's great," Jacob says, "but could you have waited until I was out of school?"

"Oh, shit," I say, "I am so sorry, I keep forgetting, uh, just . . . pick me up and I'll talk to you about the whole quarantine."

I hung up, smiling, Jacob's laughter still ringing in my ears-

"I thought you said he wasn't your boyfriend."

I jump to see Edward leaning against the tree, looking at me strangely, as though trying to slowly decode my emotions, like he's trying to read my mind.

"I thought you said he wasn't your boyfriend."

I jump. I turn to see Edward leaning against the tree, his hand above my head. He's using the majority of his wrist to lean and his head is facing downwards so I can look him in the eye. His eyes are hazel. Lighter than Friday.

"He isn't," I say, "God, could you wear a bell or something?"

"Excuse me?" He scrunches up his nose in confusion.

"It's a way to tell when someone's approaching, people usually put bells on their cats," I explain, confused as to why he's confused. Then again, considering he got sick from something in the early 1900s, I don't think he's that normal.

"So you think I'm a feline?" he inquires, raising an eyebrow. The color of his hair confuses me. It's bronze and while some may call it brown, I can't call it anything other than bronze. It's strange. I'm distracted momentarily when I hear him snapping his fingers in my face. "What is it with you and cats?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, first the whole curiosity killed the cat, then satisfaction brought it back and now you're thinking of using cat methods to tell where I am?" He smirks, "Does someone have a crush?"

"You're arrogant," I say, "Did you know that?" He continues to smirk. "Stop it, that-"

"Bothers you?" Edward finishes. "I know, you told me. I've been making an effort to piss you off as much as possible." I'm confused, but I don't bother to ask him to explain. I probably won't get it anyway.

"Maybe I should get a sprits bottle too," I add, thinking. I bet if I sprayed him with water a couple of times, maybe he'd stop. Then again, he's PMS, so I doubt it. If I whack him around with a hose, maybe I'd make some progress.

"Okay, I'm not going to bother asking anymore," he says. "So if he's not your boyfriend, why are you going on a date?"

"We're not," I snap. I really hate the world for making assumptions, specifically the exact same assumptions and with Jacob and I. "I'm just gonna tell him about the quarantine is all, it doesn't happen every day."

"It sounds like a date," Edward presses and I want to punch him into the oak tree.

"Don't you have class?"

**"Sometimes it's healthy to skip,"** he tells me. "Anyway, I was wondering if you could do me a favor and not mention Rosalie or the power out," he says in a hushed voice.

"But that was the majority of the quarantine," I whine. It was actually the best part, seeing him freak out over a fire extinguisher, the dropping of the match, everything. "By the way, how did Rosalie get into the boiler room in the first place?"

"She was wondering," Edward says in a rush, "Just, could you avoid mentioning me? This is Black we're talking about." (1)

"What? Scared the Dementors are going to come after you?" I ask, smirking this time instead of him. He frowns, confused. "You're no fun," I accuse. "Can I at least tell him that you think he's a fag?"

Edward leans closer to me, still leaning against the tree but now he's breath is close to my face and I can smell the cool scent of mint. "Oh, you can tell him," he says, "in fact, I highly recommend it."

"Oh really?"

Is he flirting with me? And am I actually allowing it?

_RING! RING!_

"Don't wanna miss class, do you?" he asks me but his voice is soft, not quite teasing. Almost like he doesn't want me to go. "You've got Spanish, right? Adios."

I am left staring at the place he had been in to watch him walk away towards his car. It's the last period of the day. I know that I don't have much that I need to do and Spanish is a subject that I personally find useless.

I'm tempted to get into the car with Edward but something stops me.

One: I have to meet Jacob and he's going to take us our somewhere so I can talk to him about the quarantine

Two: I don't wanna get in trouble with the principal

And three: Edward Cullen drives like he's the Roadrunner.

So thanks but no thanks.

* * *

"Where are we going?" I ask Jacob, trying to see but the blindfold's stopped me from seeing anything other than blackness. I try to sniff the air in order to get a better idea of my surroundings (when one sense is gone, the other senses take over and tend to intensify) but it doesn't smell of anywhere I'm familiar with.

"Just hold on," Jacob tells me.

"I'm giving you five second before I rip this thing off myself," I warn him.

"Seriously? Five seconds?"

"One." I begin.

"Are you kidding me?"

"You're wasting time, two," I continue and I hear the scrambling of feet and quick chit chatter.

"Three." I hear the sound of something tipping over and spilling.

"Four." Glass shatters and now I'm really curious.

"Five." (2)

I rip off the blindfold to find myself in a restaurant. The menu is open in front of me and my foot's wet. I realize that the broken glass is somewhat piling near my feet; a broken glass for drinking near my big toe and the wetness is from water. The thing that fell off before from what I can guess is the menu because Jacob's is upside down.

"Where are we?" I ask, looking around the restaurant.

It's nothing fancy, a little like a fast food joint but a bit classier. The sweat on Jacob's face is growing more by the second as I look around the place.

"So . . ?" He looks nervous. I think I'm gonna make him sweat a little more.

"I don't know . . ." I turn around and eye the decorations and the waiters moving around. "I mean, it's a very. . ."

"Very what?" Jacob asks, his voice rising high.

I decide I've made him squirm enough. "Nice." I finish. "I like it." The place isn't too fancy but it isn't dull. If he took me to a fast food joint, I'd have to disembody him and I've grown sort of fond of having a lift every day. Mainly, I'd miss his Chevy. Jacob's also a sad thing, but common, a 53? Who wouldn't love that? I kid, but anyway.

"So you said you'd talk about the quarantine?"

"Yeah," I answer. "So believe it or not, Rosalie somehow got into the fuse box and shortly after the quarantine, we had a power out. Jasper told me and PMS." Okay, so I'm not granting Edward's wishes. Whatever, that's what he gets for being PMS.

"Aren't Rosalie and Jasper the Hales?" Jacob asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah, so?" I answer.

"I mean, aren't you guys sort of . . . close with the Cullens it seems? I mean, they're bad news from what I hear." Jacob seems as though he's trying to give me advice in a way that doesn't seem like he's affecting my opinion when he's really making me squirm and wonder what is wrong with the Cullens. I mean, I know they aren't normal, but is there more to it than RNA in the DNA?

"I guess," I mutter, "I never really think of it as close though, sort of like . . . I dunno, they're there." I reply lamely.

"Oh," Jacob says. "So how did Rosalie get to a fuse box?"

"She was in the boiler room. I'm not sure what got her so steamed and neither does anyone else it seems. But either way, Jasper, Emmett and Alice went to work on the fuse box. I think the Hales have something against me but Jasper's warming up. Slowly, yes, but he's warming.

"Emmett started a fire in the boiler room cause he dropped a match when he was using it as a light source so PMS came in to save the day," I say this sarcastically and put air quotations around "save the day" so Jacob knows I'm joking.

"So what? Was he Superman that day?" Jacob sounds slightly bitter when he speaks but I ignore it and brush it off.

"Nah, more like Incredible Hulk," I shrug. "Anyway, I met Carlisle Cullen, their father that day too and it turns out his wife is the lunch lady. She says she has other jobs, but I don't know, maybe she's lying."

"You had an interesting Friday," Jacob notes. "Mine just meant I was out of school when the bell rung," Jacob shrugs.

"Thanks to Jessica Stanley, I ended up on a table dancing."

Jacob chokes on his own spit and calls the waitress over to order, gulping down water. His eyes are wide and I realize I could've phrased that better. "What?" He manages to choke out once the woman is gone and he has drunk half of his glass.

"I didn't mean it like that," I say quickly. "I meant that Edward got me to sing and God, I'm going to kill him for that. It was something out of a musical. People do not just break out into dance and song." I moan, running a hand through my hair.

"Hey, relax," Jacob tells me, reaching over and putting his hand over mine. He's warmer than Edward but I've become used to the cold touch so now, even though Edward's touch still shocks me and makes me shiver yet I don't mind it that much, I'm reacting strangely to warm touch. Edward Cullen is screwing up my mind.

"Sorry," he says when he notices me flinching.

"Not your fault," I say quickly. "So uh-"

"Last question I swear on the topic, but what did you sing?" Jacob asks before I can change the subject to something less embarrassing.

"You really want to know?" I ask, exasperated. I'd rather forget those three minutes that I spent on a table and somewhat attempting to dance with Edward with Jessica Stanley burning holes into my body. "Come closer," I tell him, moving my finger to pull him forward.

Like a fish on a hook with me having the rod, his body slowly comes closer to me, leaning in.

"The song was," I say very slowly and very softly. "NONE OF YOUR BUSINESSS!"

Jacob nearly falls off his chair in surprise, considering my voice was very low before, no wonder his chair has nearly tipped over. "Okay, I deserved that," Jacob admitted.

"You think?" I respond.

"No more questions about you and Mr. Twinkle Toes," Jacob says, raising his hands in surrender. "So who are your friends anyway? I've been doing this for nearly two months yet I have no idea who you hang out with besides the Cullens and that occasionally, Mr. PMS takes over my job of taking you home."

"It's for a science project which is actually due soon," I retort, "And don't call him Mr. He doesn't deserve the politeness." Jacob laughs. "Alright, I'll tell you, but they're not really my friends."

"Okay, hit me," Jacob says.

"Jessica Stanley, that brunette who screams like she's on helium? So I'm sort of having her around cause I kind of need a guide around school occasionally and she's popular so that means it's easier to get others to leave me alone, but I'm not really that friendly with her. She's the reason I got a detention."

"So let me guess, we hate Stanley?"

"Yup. But maybe Emmett will run her over with his BMW, you never know," I shrug but I notice his shoulders tense at the mention of a Cullen. Seriously, what is the deal with him and his seemingly hatred of them?

"Mike Newton is an annoying guy who can't understand when another girl is into him and the one he likes can't stand him. Jessica totally adores him but he's clinging to me like a leech," I shiver. "There's Eric, Chess Club Champ who's also a pain and Tyler who needs to get some good tires for the ice that's starting to appear everywhere. Angela and Lauren aren't much to talk about," I say, bored of the topic already.

"Interesting group you've got there," Jacob notes. "So where do I fit in your categories of people who piss you off?"

"You're not in it," I tell him. He seems to smirk, proud of himself. "Most days," I add jokingly.

"Ouch, only most days?" Jacob asks, holding a hand to his chest in mock pain. "What can I do to please your Highness?"

"Don't say that, it sounds like I'm on crack," I scold him playfully. The waitress comes with our food and we begin to eat when I decide to ask him. Maybe He'll give me answers. "Do you know anything about Spanish influenza?"

"It was an epidemic in 1918, right?" he asks.

"Yeah, do you know anything else about it?" I press.

"Well, there was a similar spread of the H1N1 in 2009, but the symptoms were less severe than the second flood of the virus in the early 1900s. I did a whole project on it for science class. We had to pick a disease. If you want, I can give you the essays and papers I've wrote on it. Why are you so interested in it anyway?"

"Oh, no reason," I answer, twirling my fork on my plate. "Just curious. I mean, the whole idea of someone's face turning blue, like solidly blue makes me wonder if the Smurfs created it."

Jacob laughs.

The rest of our meal isn't that interesting and when he drops me off at home, he says he can get the papers to me by tomorrow morning. I thank him and enter my house, going upstairs.

"You just can't leave us alone, can you?"

I jump.

Edward is standing in my bedroom, against the wall behind the door so I couldn't see him when I first entered. I think my heart stops pumping for a second as he simply stares at me with a dark eyed gaze. (3)

He shuts the door close and analyzes me.

Gee, I don't feel like a test subject at all. Please note my awesome use of sarcasm.

"Quit that," I say, "It's unnerving."

"I see you don't like it when it's you, do you?" Edward asks. "I think you should learn to leave things alone," he tells me. His voice is soft and his arms are folded across his chest. He's meeting my gaze hard on. "First you go snooping into my DNA, then you ask Alice about medical records and now you're asking everyone about the Spanish Flu."

"Well, if you had just let me see your DNA in the first place, we wouldn't be in this predicament, now would we?" I challenge him, taking a step closer but he holds up his hands and turns his head away from me, as though I've punched him.

"It was only two days . . ." he mutters. I'm confused. He then starts to talk to me but he won't look at my face, though I'm sure he's addressing me because I doubt my nightstand is listening. "Why are you so damn curious about us?"

I decide to play it dumb.

"What are you talking about?"

"Cut the crap Bella," Edward tells me harshly. I watch his jaw clench but I still can't take him seriously. He's giving the nightstand a death glare after all.

"Why are you so mysterious?"

"Why do you care?"

"Why do you keep answering my questions with a question? I just want answers!" I plead for the first time, actually begging. I need to know. I mean, first it was to get him arrested; now I just can't stand not knowing.

**"****Yes. No. Uh, to get to the other side. . . 1.772453850905516-"**

"I meant to my questions. How do you know the square root of pi off by heart?" I can't help adding. He shrugs and raises an eyebrow, as though to ask me: _how do you?_

"I don't understand why you're making this so hard," I tell him. "Why you can't just answer simple questions."

"Why can't you stand up to your father?" Edward challenges me.

"W-What?"

"Why can't you tell him to go and fuck off? Why didn't you hit him? You were fine with me doing it. Why didn't _you_?" He's looking at me now and I wish he'd look away because his gaze is unsettling me.

"I-I-" I can't answer. I don't know why.

"Exactly." Edward answers.

"But you have a reason, I can tell," I snap back, recovering from his interrogation. "You wouldn't be trying so hard to avoid answering if there wasn't a reason. What is it? Really? Why did you have a flu from the early 1900s? Why are you so cold? Why don't you come to school on the sunny days? Why don't you eat at all during lunch? What are you so afraid of?" I demand, knowing I won't really get any answers.

I look at his eyes and I can see an invisible wall crumbling. He gulps, his Adam's apple visible. He looks shocked that I even asked, but the look in his eyes- like he's breaking.

"I-"

"ISABELLA!"

I want to yell at Charlie and open my door, screaming down: "I'M BUSY!"

I turn back to my room, but Edward's gone.

Was he even here at all?

But the smell of pine forests and spearmint tells me otherwise.

* * *

_Author's Note #2: FIRST THING'S FIRST: I ACTUALLY WILL TAKE REQUESTS! NOT ON THIS STORY, BUT IF YOU WANT AN ONESHOT DONE OR A SMALL SERIES OF ONESHOTS DONE, TELL ME THE ARCHIVE AND I'LL GET BACK TO YOU ON IT. IF I KNOW IT WELL, I MIGHT MAKE ONE AND DEDICATE IT TO YOU! I HAVE NO LIFE AND I KNOW AND MY STUPID THING IS STUCK ON CAPS JUST TO CATCH YOUR ATTENTION! Okay, so I loved the line in the restaurant with Edward saying: __**"Yes. No. Uh, to get to the other side. 1.772 . . ." **__whatever the rest of the square root of pi is. I used a calculator on my laptop. So I put it in here as well as somewhat similar lines from either the book or the film. So you know how there's that scene with Jacob telling Bella about the "scary stories"? (Pretty pathetic "scary stories" in my opinion) So that scene where he kind of tells her what she needs to know is in the next chapter and before you dare think this scene is the restaurant scene with the whole Bella nearly got raped, you're wrong. Also, he took her to a restaurant on the reservation, which is why Edward didn't pop up then but I do have that creepy "I like watching you sleep" sort of like scene. And writing Jacob in the restaurant? Beyond hard and weird and I hope it isn't too awkward. Okay, now for the numbers:_

**_(1):_**_The thing about Jacob is that his last name pisses me off because Sirius Black is cooler than Jacob Black yet they still share the same names. If I were the Sorting Hat, Jacob would be in Hufflepuff. Had to have a __**Harry Potter **__nerd time. I'm entitled to them._

**_(2):_**_I have written scenes that are very similar to this one, which involved a guy showing this girl his house and he wanted her to move in with him and he had trouble getting the damn key into the lock._

**_(3):_**_I always liked dark eyes over light eyes, I don't know, it's this thing. Anyway, the thing is Edward did have his meal but they're dark because Bella hasn't really mentioned his eyes in a while._

_Alright, these many reviews which I appreciate and adore:_

**_Godisgood3:_**_I hope you enjoyed this chapter like you did the other and I know she didn't make any progress this chapter, but it's coming up soon._

**_Konohashinobi07_**_: Okay, first, do you mean as in __**Naruto**__ Konaha? And shinobi? AWESOME! Is the seven in your name for Team 7? Do you like Naruto and Sakura or Sakura and Sasuke? I don't have many people to blab about __**Naruto**__ with. If you want to talk to me about __**Naruto**__, you can PM me. Sorry for having a freak attack in the means of __**Naruto**__. I really like it. Also, in case you were wondering, Edward's called Eddie by Emmett because my friend likes finding screwed up fanfictions and fixing them up and she found one for __**Twilight**__ with __**Twilight**__ spelt __**Twilite**__ and Edward was called Eddie and Laurent was Laurence and there was text talk and the OC was "preggo" and Edward thought she smelt "preggo". So yeah, that was awful. I hate her for making me hear that story. That's 400 words of terror._

**_LunaNotLoony_**_: So yeah, I was thinking about making Esme the lunch lady and decided why the hell not?_

**_Ren_**_: Carlisle was fun to introduce. Like, mega fun._

**_TheImpossiblePen_**_: I love how some people tell me this __**Twilight**__ is better than the original. I like making relationships grow as natural as possible and giving people sarcasm and epic awesome stubbornness and other cool stuff, so I'm glad you like it!_

**_lilmissbecki_**_: If you want more of their attitude, I write __**The Secrets of MapleWood**__ on Fictionpress where my characters Chase and Carmen have similar attitudes to Bella. In fact, I sort of made Bella a combo of the two._

**_Setsu_**_: WE SHARE THE EXACT SAME THING! My friends think I'm obsessed but I'm not, it's like, I know it's bad and I don't really like it yet I know every fact about Edward and Jasper cause Jasper's cool and Edward's sorta cool. I don't have a dirty pleasure in it, it's just . . . have no idea how to explain it, but I'm liking rewriting it._

**_Haquikah_**_: So yeah, my characters are always pretty cheeky._

**_OnceBoyUponMeetsATimeGirl_**_: Yeah, I'm sticking to write your name like this so the stupid fanfiction filter won't cut you out. You can thank me later. So I do like developing relationships, as I've said before and it's fun to do Edward and Bella because typically, I've done a few relationships which will delve into love but the male character was a bit more whiny and kinda clumsy and ADHD (I love this character that I created. His name is Jesse) and the girl was really aggressive (her name is Carmen) so it was a little like Edward and Bella, but they're also like my couple of the one guy who's a smartass and the girl who meets him for each comment, but the problem is that Edward isn't that smart and the girl's a tad more girly than Bella and she wouldn't hold back on punching Jessica Stanley in the face. If you haven't read __**I'd Judo Flip You If You Weren't Bigger, **__I think you'd like it and I'm working on another thing for __**Her Werewolf In Windswept Fur.**_

**_Satakshipari_**_: I strive to make my readers laugh, I hope you laughed._

**_AnnaCromwell_**_: GO __**HARRY POTTER**__! (sorry, had to do that.) If you want a Jily story, PM me and I'll see what I can do._

**_Laura Vieira:_**_I'm gonna take a guess and say you're asking when will Bella figure it out? Do me a small favor and write your reviews in English. I know French and can sort of understand Spanish (if that's what you were writing) but it's easier to reply if I don't have to run the thing through Google Translate and Bella's gonna figure it out soon. _

_PLEASE REWIEW! (now that I finished sounding like a whiny baby, get back to your lives! I have some __**Teen Titans, Naruto, Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, Artemis Fowl**__**and Darkest Powers **__stories to read. Yes, I like that many archives and more. I have no life. Get over it. You should be happy cause because I have no life, I write this stuff. Rant over.)_

_Oh yeah, one last thing to keep you thinking: IF BELLA WAS NEVER BITTEN AND SHE CONTINUED TO AGE AFTER SHE GOT MARRIED TO EDWARD (sorry, I'm on a CAPS craze) DOES THIS MEAN THAT SHE WILL EVENTUALLY LOOK LIKE A PEDOPHILE TO THE HUMAN EYE? AND NO ONE WILL KNOW THAT REALLY, EDWARD IS THE PEDOPHILE?_


	10. More Questions Than Answers

_Author's Note #1: So I'm sorry I haven't updated recently, I was going to but then exams came up and I'm in the middle of exam period which will be going on for 2 weeks, so my updates will be less frequent. Also, I have a very busy summer schedule but I'll try to write as much as I can. I idiotically asked to write a story for my French class during the summer, a murder mystery, in native French. I live in Canada where that's mandatory. Another thing is I realized there are some problems chronologically speaking like how the quarantine that was introduced was introduced but once we got to the actual quarantine chapters, it was on a Friday. I plan on revising the whole thing when the first book is done like I do with all my books and I'll say the date it was revised so you'll know the story's been edited. I once again apologize for not finishing sooner and the fact that it's also so short! Thanks will come at the end, once again, I also don't update till I have at least 5 reviews. Maybe I can get to 70 total? I have been waiting to make a __**Back To The Future**__ reference for forever, so it's in here. (Random side note, in Spanish class, we were forced to ask each other questions and someone asked what our favorite movie was. Everyone in my group said movies I had never heard of and I said __**Back To The Future**__ and they just started smiling idiotically and said they loved it. If you don't like this, sorry but come on, if you're a fan of __**Back To The Future**__, tell me and what's your favorite movie?) __**Twilight**__ is not mine! Information on Spanish Influenza and H1N1 were found online! __**Harry Potter**__ is not mine, (but do read my__** Harry Potter**__ one-shots, I think they're decent!) and the lab they had is based off a lab I had recently with stupid triple beam balances. Consider that lab to be their microscope lab._

* * *

_9. MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS_

* * *

"STAY AWAY FROM EDWARD."

I turn to see Rosalie glaring at me from her respective distance away from me. I raise an eyebrow at her. Is she secretly Edward's girlfriend even though Emmett and her seem to have something going on because typically, only girlfriends act like this. Or she's just being difficult.

"What's it to you?" I ask her, slowly stepping forward. I know what it's like when someone gets up in your face for some stupid reason that they'll say they know but they'll never tell you and I feel like this is one of those times.

"Just . . . stay away from him," Rosalie repeats.

"Give me one good reason," I challenge her raising an eyebrow. I know this is where I have her stumped. Much like Jessica, she'll splutter and fumble and finally come up with an answer that makes no sense and I can quickly turn into a Dexter reference.

"You want a reason?" she asks, advancing closer. "I'll give you a reason. No, I'll give you more than one. You're making him reckless, he's becoming careless. He's gotten on Esme's bad side all for defending you, a girl who is nothing short of boring and not to mention his friendship with Jasper is hanging in the balance. His car is actually beginning to smell like you and he shuts himself inside and just sits there. He just sits there! He's distracted, Carlisle can even tell. He sits at the damn piano some days and just plays this stupid song over and over again, possibly composing something for you, which he's never going to show you! That's why you need to leave him alone. It's affecting his way of living."

Okay, she's given me some points; I'll give her that. And she does have this sense of . . . urgency to her voice. The reasons sound somewhat reasonable yet at the same time, I can't help holding back a smirk.

"Okay."

"You'll leave him alone?" she asks, her shoulders relaxing.

Am I really that bad?

"No," I tell her, the smirk finally breaking out on my face. "But nice try."

I know I'm on the right track now. Whenever they try to stop you and threaten you're life, you know you're doing something right.

* * *

Jacob handed me a pack of files before I left his truck after school and I raced up the stairs to my room, slamming my door shut. I know Charlie won't be home for a while so I'm safe to use the house as much as I want for the next few hours, but when he comes in, I'm not sure what I'll say to him.

Oh well, I'm getting better at lying on the spot so what the hell?

I open up the file and scan through the documents, trying to figure out exactly what happened and if Edward really did get the H1N1 from 2009, but from the symptoms that Alice told me, I doubt it.

_H1N1 flu is also known as swine flu. It's called swine flu because in the past, the people who caught it had direct contact with pigs. That changed several years ago, when a new virus emerged that spread among people who hadn't been near pigs._

_In 2009, H1N1 was spreading fast around the world, so the World Health Organization called it a pandemic. Since then, people have continued to get sick from swine flu, but not as many._

_While swine flu isn't as scary as it seemed a few years ago, it's still important to protect yourself from getting it. Like seasonal flu, it can cause more serious health problems for some people. The best protection is to get a flu vaccine or flu shot, every year. Swine flu is one of the viruses included in the vaccine._

**_Causes of Swine Flu_**

_Swine flu is contagious, and it spreads in the same way as the seasonal flu. When people who have it cough or sneeze, they spray tiny drops of the virus into the air. If you come in contact with these drops or touch a surface (such as a doorknob or sink) that an infected person has recently touched, you can catch H1N1 swine flu._

_Despite the name, you can't catch swine flu from eating bacon, ham, or any other pork product._

**_Swine Flu Symptoms_**

_People who have swine flu can be contagious one day before they have any symptoms, and as many as 7 days after they get sick. Kids can be contagious for as long as 10 days._

_Most symptoms are the same as seasonal flu. They can include:_

_cough_

_fever_

_sore throat_

_stuffy or runny nose_

_body aches_

_headache_

_chills_

_fatigue_

_Like seasonal flu, swine flu can lead to more serious complications, including pneumonia and respiratory failure. And it can make conditions like diabetes or asthma worse. If you have symptoms like shortness of breath, severe vomiting, abdominal pain, dizziness or confusion, call your doctor or 911 right away._

**_Tests for Swine Flu_**

_It's hard to tell whether you have swine flu or seasonal flu, because most symptoms are the same. People with swine flu may be more likely to feel nauseous and throw up than people who have seasonal flu. But a lab test is the only way to know for sure. Even a rapid flue test you can get in your doctor's office won't tell you for sure._

_To test for swine flu, your doctor takes a sample from your nose or throat. You may not need to be tested. The CDC says the people who need to be tested are those in the hospital or those at high risk for getting life-threatening problems from the flu, such as:_

_Children under 5 years old_

_People 65 or older_

_Children and__teens__(under age 18) who are getting long-term aspirin therapy, and who might be at risk for Reye's syndrome after being infected with swine flu. Reye's syndrome is a life-threatening illness linked to aspirin use in children._

_Pregnant women_

_Adults and children who have chronic lung, heart, liver, blood, nervous system, neuromuscular, or metabolic problems_

_Adults and children who have suppressed immune systems (including those who take medications to suppress their immune systems or who have HIV)_

_People in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities-_

I get the idea.

In rare cases, there actually is abdominal pain but apparently, there are no symtomps that involving turning blue. My eyebrows furrow as I stare at the papers. Clearly, this epidemic explains at least half of what Edward apparently had, but there are still facts missing.

I search up _Spanish Influenza_ on Google and press enter.

The results differ from many different things, some things involve whether or not the next Spanish Influenza is amongst us now and others suggest that the flu would be the reason for the world to end.

One link looks promising so I click on it.

_The "Spanish Flu" was named in May 1918, since the Spanish media was the first to document the pandemic during a period in World War I when most countries had strict censorship. The Spanish Flu was an extreme strain of the influenza virus, which was transmitted by inhaling infected air. Scientists have hypothesized that this virus originated in China as a strain of avian influenza, which mutated and infected herds of swine. This virus was contracted by humans, and was dispersed throughout society as people and goods moved along Asian-European trade routes. In the trenches of World __WAR I__, the Spanish Flu quickly spread. Infected soldiers began returning to their homelands, thus carrying the virus throughout the world._

_Symptoms, such as chills, fever, headaches, pains, weakness, coughing up blood, and delirium, appeared suddenly. It was not uncommon for a person to be healthy in the morning, yet die from the virus by the evening. Two effects of the Spanish Flu were the increased risks of contracting a respiratory infection such as pneumonia, or becoming inflicted with cyanosis, a bluish skin discoloration that resulted from severely diminished amounts of haemoglobin in the blood. The Spanish Flu was difficult to treat because medical understanding of viral infections did not occur until the 1930s. Just as with today's influenza, there was no cure for the Spanish Flu. The most popular remedies were bed rest or drinking alcohol. Because of prohibition in Saskatchewan, alcohol could only be obtained with a doctor's prescription from one of two distributing pharmacies in the province. Other preventative measures to which people resorted were folk remedies or wearing of masks._

_The infection rate of the virus in Saskatchewan was about one in every four families. This virus was most detrimental to the 20 to 40 years age group, where the survival rate was 50%. As the epidemic spread through out the province, a shortage of doctors was apparent. Approximately 10% of doctors were on military service, while many others became sick or died themselves due to the virus. Furthermore, 87% of the population lived in rural areas, yet had access to only a third of the province's hospital beds. Most deaths from this epidemic occurred at home. Often, bodies were stacked upon one another while undertakers waited for coffins. Once coffins were available, burial permits were often overlooked in order for the bodies to be quickly laid to rest. The transportation of dead bodies was not permitted, in order to control the spread of the virus. Communities were quarantined, schools were closed, church services cancelled, and public meetings were banned. Because of the impact of the virus on the 20 to 40 years age group, many children were left orphaned by this epidemic._

_The Spanish Flu gradually weakened in 1919, and by 1920 had run its course. It has been estimated that the total deaths worldwide from this epidemic reached upwards of 20 million. In Canada, 50,000 people died, including 5,000 in Saskatchewan. As a result of this epidemic, there were demands for an increase in the number of hospitals throughout the province, an increase in doctor's salaries, and more training on caring for the sick at home._

The Spanish flu was during WWI and yet Edward has each and every symtomps for this rather than the H1N1.

I bite my lip and scan the papers Jacob gave me again. That's it, it's settled. I've gotta ask about it.

At school the next day, I walk up to Edward and his family who are all in the silver Volvo once more. It seems that Emmett's BMW is not present. Shame, considering I was seriously thinking we could kill Jessica today.

"Edward, I want answers and before you prattle on about the square root of pi, I will have you know that with some research, I know exactly what you had a few years ago!"

"Oh really?" Edward asks but he sounds slightly uneasy. I think he's noticed the red porfolio under my arm and he's eyeing it strangely. "Pray tell me, what is it?"

"Spanish Influenza."

"Pardon?" Edward manages, leaning closer as though he can't hear a single thing I've said.

"You're insane if you think he got that," Emmett says, "that was like in what, 1917? 18? No one could possibly get that at this point, we're in the twenty-first century, not the twentieth-"

"Are you mental?" Rosalie asks me, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Now you've done it," Jasper mutters with his arms crossed as Alice tries to sooth him, patting him gently but he pulls away from her and a look of hurt flashes across her face.

"Dude, say something!" Emmett tells Edward, nudging him in the shoulder.

"Pardon?" he repeats.

"I want answers," I tell him again. "And I won't leave until I get them."

"You've gotta give her points for being persistent," Emmett whispers to Jasper who grits his teeth and eyes Alice. I suppose this could be because Alice probably still hasn't given up on Jasper and her as an item. Man, those guys are confusing.

"Look, can we not discuss it right now?" Edward asks.

"No, we're going to talk about this now and listen to me carefully when I say you cannot shake me off or pull another Invisibility Cloak maneouver on me."

"Technically, it wasn't a cloak-"

"You snuck into my room in the middle of the night! What are you, a stalker?"

"You went to her house?" Jasper hisses, obviously displeased.

"Just . . ." Edward pinches the bridge of his nose, leaning forward slightly. Obviously, he doesn't tell everything to his family. "Just shut up," Edward mutters, "I need to think."

"You can think after you tell me what is going on," I say, glaring at him and I swear, though I'm at least four inches shorter than him (and I mean as a minimum), he grimaces and cringes.

"You had to pick her, didn't you?" Rosalie asks, sighing dramatically. "You couldn't have decided to go for a bimbo who had no brains, no, you had to like the science geek who's the daughter of the head of the cops and who also seems pretty persistent to ruin our life?"

I open my mouth to retort when I realize there's no way to answer that without insulting myself and I shut it.

"Speechless for once, aren't we?" Rosalie demands, looking like she's won a giant victory.

"You," I say, pointing to Edward. "I have a bone to pick with you."

"Too good to last," Rosalie mutters.

"Shut up Rosalie," Edward mutters through clenched teeth. "Look, I'll talk to you later, you've got a class with Barbie," he snaps and then he brushes past me, his shoulder striking mine. It's strange that when he does it, a shiver goes through me but not the entirely unpleasant kind.

* * *

Sadly, our volleyball unit in gym will be coming to an end soon and I'm not very anxious to see it go. Of course, I do still have practices because the volleyball unit ends before the actual season, but still.

"Heads up!" Mike shouts when I serve, the ball shooting across the gym, it hits one of the lights and the room plunges into darkness. I roll my eyes. I'm pretty sick of the dark.

"What's happening?" Mike asks and I can practically see him shiver.

It's when the lights shut off that I realize something.

I don't hear the thunder. There's no lightning or thunder and the sound of the rain hitting the roof is faint. I squint and notice that the sun is peeking out of the clouds, looking like a ray of joy in my still purgatory.

"OMG," Jessica says, "that's like, the first time ever that's happened! It's sunny for the rest of the day!"

Coach Clapps lets us go outside for the rest of class.

* * *

When I step into Biology, a smile on my face, I notice that Edward is sitting in the back of the class instead of near the window and he's wearing a sweatshirt. I've never seen Edward wear a sweatshirt before and the hood's pulled up over his bronze hair.

Earlier this morning, he sported a short-sleeved light blue shirt and slightly faded jeans. When I look at him now, even from this angle, I can see that he's changed.

He's wearing a pair of black jeans, a burgundy colored shirt that's sleeves are poking out of the light brown sweatshirt he's wearing and he's even changed so instead of having his side facing the large window of the room, if he had allowed me to keep my respectful place at the left side of the table, he's sitting with his body pressed up against the wall.

As I approach, I realize that the stool's also hitting the wall as he shields himself from some unknown monster. I roll my eyes. I thought we were friends and now he goes swapping the seating arrangements?

"What's up?" I ask him.

"Nothing," he mumbles and I have to admit, he looks cute like that. With the hoodie pulled over his hair, it gives it an even messier look and the dark colors compliment his light skin. He's eyes are a hazel today, which means he'll be less cranky. It's another theory I have.

"We will have a lab that focuses on using the triple beam balance today," Mr. Banner tells us. "Your partners are the same as they are for your DNA replica project which I hope is complete by now if not nearly done?"

I see Mike smile sheepishly from the corner of my eye. Procrasinator.

I get up and bring the trple beam balance back to our table. The lab tells us that we have to figure out what the mass of five objects is. I take the first object, a large marble, placing it on the balance beam.

"Do you want me to do it?" Edward asks.

"No, I'm good," I tell him. I slowly begin to move the larger scale, which, no doubt, tells me the marble has a mass lower than a hundred. "So uh, why'd you change?" I ask as though this is nothing as I move the other scale, the marble weighing twenty something grams.

"I uh," Edward clears his throat awkwardly. Damn, I thought we were past these. "Needed something new," he says, shrugging.

"Huh," I say, adjusting the dial. "Twenty-three point sixty-three," I tell him.

He takes the next object, a battery, places it on the triple beam balance and begins to weigh it.

"It's nice," I say, watching as his brow furrows in concentration, focusing on the task at hand. He looks like he's prey from a larger predator as he leans closer to the scale, eyeing it carefully as he turns the dial. He's hunched over and he looks alert.

"Sorry, what?"

"I said it's nice," I tell him.

"What's nice?" he asks. He writes something down on the paper, his hand covered by the sweatshirt. I didn't think Edward wore things that were too big on him.

"The look," I explain. "I like you in dark colors."

"As opposed to hating me in light ones?" he asks, smirking as he drops the next thing, an eraser, onto the balance beam. He pushes it towards me, careful that we don't touch. I notice the way he clutches his fists together, as though if he touched me, he'd burn.

"Well, you're more tolerable in dark," I tease.

His eyes widen, but I ignore it.

Letting out a tense laugh, he says, "So, are we just going to chit chat until I'm lured into a false sense of security before you pounce on me with questions or is the inquisition starting now?"

"Huh?" I ask. "Seven point eighteen," I tell him, watching him write, still careful he doesn't reveal any skin other than his face.

"You wanted to ask me about the Spanish Influenza?"

"Right!" I say, having forgotten it by accident before. He places a nickel on the scale and begins to calculate the mass. He motions to show me he's listening. "Where'd you get it?"

"What do you mean?"

"That thing was around in 2009, yes but the kind you have was only around 1918, did you hang out in some sick hospital or something?"

**"****What are your theories?"** he asks, quirking an eyebrow as he writes down the answer and drops a pebble into the dish for me to weigh.

"Well, I've been thinking something along the lines of . . . _Machine for Pigs_?"

"What?" he asks confused as I move one of the scales.

"Never mind," I mutter, turning the knob.

"Hold on," he tells me, standing behind me. I bet I would feel his body heat if he didn't feel so cold all the time and as he gets closer, his cool breath is even nearer. He's so close, his back's pressing against me, only our clothes separating us yet I hear nor feel no heartbeat. Strange. "Stare at the two lines," he tells me, "and tell me which way to put it." I nod and watch them, telling him more to the left or more to the right.

"Any _Back to the Future_ conspiracies?" he asks as he turns it too far to the left.

"Nope," I say. "Time travel isn't possible."

He chuckles. "You wouldn't believe what's possible," he says. "Is it balanced?"

What does he mean by that? "Yeah," I tell him. I push him out of the way to check the dial. "Seventeen point eighty-four."

"No, you're wrong," he says.

"What?" I demand.

"Look," he says, pointing but I can't really see where. "It's obviously on the seven, not the four," he tells me but I don't believe him.

"Where?"

"Right there."

"I still don't see it."

"Are you blind woman?" he asks when he grabs my hand in impatience and places it on the line. I feel his wrist with mine. No pulse. "It's right-" he stops. I think he's realized how close we are. "There," he finishes, his voice sounding weak to my own ears. I look at him and see that his eyes have become slightly darker, like in the cafeteria. He comes a little closer, as though leaning on his toes when he jumps back as though pricked. He rubs his face and sighs.

"Uh," he clears his throat, his fists clenching and unclenching. It looks like his knuckles are slightly burnt or that they've been scarred but it's gone in an instant. "We should hand it in."

"Why don't you hand it in?"

He eyes the pathway to the teacher and he turns his head away from me. "Can you just do it?"

"Fine Mr. Bossy," I tell him, rolling my eyes. I grab the papers and walk to Mr. Banner, putting the papers on his desk. "So, you gonna tell me how you got the Spanish flu? No lies?"

"Okay, fine," Edward says, turning his head to me slightly and I brighten. Is he serious? He looks left, then right, then at me and whispers in a hushed voice that sends shivers down my spine, "I'm not actually human, I come from a supernatural race of beings that you would call vampires and I get burned badly by the sun, losing my power and my body as it goes. I have super strength, super human hearing, super human sight, you name it; I've got it. I'm the world's best predator. Everything about me draws you in; my voice, my face, even my fucking smell. As if I need it," he scoffs, "I can read everyone's mind in this room with the except of yours though I'm getting better at not wanting to drink your blood, you're in danger every time you're around me and it makes me feel so guilty. I only drink the blood of animals, causing the joke that we're vegan to go around my family though Jasper has yet to live up to that expectation and Rosalie is a complete bitch and was supposed to be my fuck mate, never mind my soulmate but that went down south as soon as that started and I'm over a hundred years old."

"I told you not to lie!" I snap at him.

"You're right, I'm not getting any better at not wanting to suck your blood'," he says as though he's admitting a deep, dark secret.

"You're such a liar! **I said no lies!"**

"I'm not lying."

"You wouldn't actually think I'd believe that shit, did you?" I ask, putting my hands on my hips.

**"****Unless I did tell you the truth because I knew you wouldn't believe the truth even if I told it to you,"** Edward says and I shake my head.

"What the hell?"

_RING! RING!_

"I'll see you later, alright?"

"What? No talks with Esme and me in the lunch line?"

"I'm skipping," Edward says and with that, leaves.

* * *

As I look around the lunchroom, it dawns on me that all the Cullens are skipping, even Esme. I try not to let it bother me too much and yet, as I sit with Mike and Jessica, I keep eyeing their corner as though I expect them to pop up randomly and announce their presence.

I know I'm being ridiculous and Jessica notices my staring much to my displeasure.

"The Cullens are skipping out for the rest of the day," Jessica tells me.

"Why?" I can't help asking even though I try to keep our conversations at a minimum, especially after the whole quarantine thing.

"Dunno, Dr. Cullen called saying there was a family emergency, something about his wife," she shrugs. "Why do you care? You miss your second boyfriend?"

"I don't have a boyfriend," I tell her through gritted teeth.

"Jess, lay off her," Mike says and for once, I don't mind the fact that he's there. For once. Probably won't happen again so Mike had better savor this moment.

"I'm just saying," Jessica says.

"Well don't," I snap.

I sink in my seat and my eyes flash towards the Cullens' table again. Just in case.

* * *

While sitting in English class, I try to think about it rationally. I know there's something up with the Cullens, that much is obvious. They came to school and skipped out half-way through the day and I highly doubt it was because of my interrogation.

What do I know about them?

They're all pretty in a sense, Rosalie with her blonde locks, Alice with her ballarina grace, Jasper and his honey blond hair, Emmett whose got this special kind of charm, the big teddy bear that might attack you at any moment thing, Esme has a certan beauty even with a hairnet, Dr. Cullen looks too young to be a father of five even if all of the children are adopted and Edward has a classic, timeless sort of thing going for him. In short, you can't look at every single Cullen and think not one of them is beautiful in their own way.

They're all pale, like freakishly pale in need of a fake tan at least and their house has a thousand windows in it and yet they don't seem that tanned at all and they all look like they're missing sleep. The faint bags under their eyes I'm sure Rosalie covers up with make-up is present on almost all their faces.

Whenever I come skin-to-skin with Edward, he's really cold. His skin feels like ice and while I'm slowly (and I mean _slowly_) getting used to it, it _is_ abnormal.

They want to be isolated in this weird way that makes me wonder what exactly is going on in their minds some days and yet they drive a freakishly fast car. It's strange and very out of place for a quiet town like this.

Above any place in the world a doctor could've worked, Dr. Cullen chose Forks. I mean, sure, we're grateful for him but really? He could be making like, five times his salary and yet he still insists on living here.

Edward's got this weird exploding pen ability that doesn't make much sense to me and he seems unphased by it. I suppose maybe he's just unnaturally strong but that's weird, considering the fact that he sure as hell doesn't look muscular.

His DNA's screwed up and I bet if I look at everyone else's, they'd also have this weird DNA pattern. There's no sign of his illness, which is shockingly the Spanish Flu, which has me wondering just what exactly happened to him. He's had the flu from World War I and yet doesn't look a day over seventeen, eighteen at most.

His eyes change color and I've noticed so do his family's. Rosalie and Jasper have a much more subtle change than Edward though and Alice and Emmett have the same dark colors as he does.

He can move without making a single sound and it freaks me out. He's silent and seems to be able to pursuade people greatly, not to mention make every girl swoon. His voice is hypnotic, but not so hypnotic that I'll do whatever he says and he seems confused by that.

When the sun came out today, he started to wear long sleeves, something he's never done before and his hood was pulled up. He stayed as far away from the sun as possible. Suddenly, a line from his poem hits me.

_You can watch the sun set and rise_

_You do not have to fear a burning in your eyes_

_You do not feel as though you will turn to dust_

_Should you come at dawn and not dusk_

And his other poem, _Creature of the Night_. The lines,

_A creature of the night_

_Where I am free without light_

Ring in my ears. In every poem he writes, he talks about darkness.

He describes the sun as though it's something he's . . . scared of. Like he can't bear to be out in the light.

Like the light will . . . kill him.

My eyes widen and I knock over my open sharpener, the peels of my sharpener hittng the floor.

I know what he is.

* * *

_Author's Note #2: So first of all, the lines in bold? Not all from __**Twilight**__, some were from __**Pirates of the Caribbean,**__ awesome series, awful last two movies! Go Johnny Depp! (I burrowed them from my mom's friend and she loves that guy and she'll kill me if I get those disks scratched!) If anyone can tell me what __**Machine for Pigs**__ is, I will reward you by . . . something. I don't know yet. Anyway, the thank yous!_

_**jlove34**__: As I've said before a few times, Edward's always been foul mouthed. Thank you so much for reviewing! It seriously brightens my day, no one really cares about what I write usually._

_**ONCEboyUPONmeetAgirlTIME**__: Yes, Lily and James are awesome, but I already knew that. I've got another one-shot planned and I think you'll like it when I've finished it!_

_**Hannah**__: I don't really plan on stopping, if you didn't read the long note at the beginning, I am planning on rewriting what I think (no offense if you like the original better) is 4 books of BS._

_**America's SuiteHeart**__: Clever, first of all name, second of all, thank you! I like to see what the original people who read Twilight think of me revamping it (hah, revamp? Okay, lame joke. I do lots of those if you haven't noticed) and I'm glad you like it!_

_**satakshipari**__: If you want a Beta, I can do it when I'm not busy._

_**Monica 1981**__: I did love that line and I'm glad you reveiwed twice sort of. _

_**Diving in**__: By trying to give her a personality, she somewhat has my personality except I'd never like Edward. Ever. No offense to Robert Pattinson, but he died the second Cedric died and he turned over to what we Harry Potter fans call the Dark Side, which, believe it or not, does not have cookies. And this doesn't count as going over because I am fixing her._

___: Thank you for appreciating my sense of humor, majority of my friends think I'm being mean!_

_Feel free to Private Message me and I also have 2 accounts on Fictionpress which I would love if you checked out,__** AJ Price**__ and __**Sekia**__. I'd love if you saw my story__** Death Traps**__, I think it's cute. It's on the AJ account. PM me whenever you want! I'll try to update fast._


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